


Bright Ideas and Not So Bright Ideas

by Sciencelings



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), BAMF May Parker (Spider-Man), Carol decided to be gay on earth instead of leave at the end of the movie, Fantasy AU, Gen, Irondad, Mama Rhodes - Freeform, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony goes to therapy, Trans May Parker, Trans Peter Parker, Tumblr Prompts, Uncle Rhodey, baby Stark - Freeform, biodad au, ghost Ben Parker, i was watching game of thrones and got ideas, shameless fluff, sorcerer Ned Leeds, unrelated oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2019-10-14 02:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 25,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17500043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sciencelings/pseuds/Sciencelings
Summary: Miscellaneous short one-shots based off of prompts I've gotten on Tumblr. Mostly centered around Peter Parker. Everything from excessive angst to overwhelming fluff to poetry. From discussion of LGBT+ topics to soulmates to wild AUs. Chapter titles are important if you want to pick and choose what you want to read. Enjoy your stay!





	1. Prompt 1: Trans Aunt May

**Author's Note:**

> Comment prompts that you want me to write or you can send me an ask on my tumblr (Science-lings)  
> the second one will probably be more reliable tbh. Anyway, ENJOY!

May had been through hell and back. She had been born a little too early for someone like her to be known. She had to learn to fight for herself. She had to learn that the family she lost along the way did not deserve her. She learned that there were people out there like her and there were people out there that were like her. But it took many many years. 

 

It had started with learning about Drag. Men dressing up in outrageous clothing and makeup. She loved it. She was drawn to it. Of course, she knew that her family would be appalled but what she did didn’t really affect them. She went to nursing school, let her hair grow, learned about herself… but it was never enough. She never met anyone like her. She never thought that anyone would love her. 

 

But then Ben and his family came along. They helped her. She loved them. She loved him. Ben had been one of the only people to not recoil at her. With them, she wasn’t afraid. Mary would include her when she went to a cafe with her girlfriends, Richard never made any inappropriate comments that other men and women had made, and May was free. They helped her pay for the things that she needed to feel like she was in the body that she was made for even when they didn’t have much to spare. 

 

Although people would look at her with distaste and horror, she was always at home with the Parkers. She was married to Ben, even though it wasn’t quite legal at the time. Then her best friend Mary had a child. And May found a sad sort of envy. She realized after meeting the girl, Karen, that she yearned to have a child. But with her… the way she was, there was no way that she could even adopt one. So she spent every free moment with Karen. She loved her like she was her own. 

 

May didn’t know what to do when Mary and Richard left the child at their door and didn’t return. Two out of the three people that loved her were gone and their child would never grow up with a proper family. Or at least that’s what her thoughts told her. 

 

May didn’t know how but Ben found a way to let them keep the child. He was Karens only living relative. And May could be… May could be a mother. Something she had only been able to dream of for years. And she was going to be the best goddamn mother there was. Especially when Karen came up to her and told her that she didn’t feel like a girl. 

 

May was not going to leave Peter like everyone left her.


	2. Prompt 2: Uncle Rhodey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhodey is completely sure that his best friend had a kid while he wasn't looking

The first time Rhodey heard about Peter, Tony had just been rambling like he always did when he was stressed and comfortable with everyone in the room. Which happened to be just Rhodey for the foreseeable future. Tony had been going on about Spider-Man and how he kept on throwing himself into danger as it Tony wasn’t literally the god of throwing himself into danger. Then, instead of using the arachnid monicker, Tony replaced the name of the superhero with the name Peter. 

“Wait, who’s Peter?” Rhodey interrupted Tony’s rant even though through context he definitely knew that this Peter was the spider kid. 

“It’s a secret but Peter is the spider boy. Don’t tell anyone.” Tony demanded while Rhodey reacted with a raise of his eyebrow. 

Rhodey didn’t bring it up, but he sent the information to the back of his mind.

Peter came up again and again and Rhodey slowly learned more about the boy. Including his love for Star Wars, his non-specific age of mid-teenager, his ability to get excited about anything he ever got slightly interested in, his childhood love for iron man, whatever past trauma that Tony managed to pry out of the kid, and a whole lot more. 

Rhodey wanted to meet the kid. Eventually, he did. Yes, Tony finally let him. 

The kid was smaller than Tony, which was quite the feat, he always looked at Tony like he was literally a god among men like Thor. He looked at Rhodey with a respectful sense of awe that he wasn’t quite used to. Rhodey wasn’t exactly the most interesting Avenger. 

“Hey, Mr. War Machine!” Jesus, this kid was like a personified ray of sunshine turned into a puppy. 

“Wrong title there bud,” Rhodey ignored Peter stumbling to fix his absent mistake, “I think it’s more appropriate to call me Uncle Rhodey.” 

Tony rolled his eyes and if it was possible, Peter smiled even wider. 

“I like the sound of that,” Peter admitted.

“So do I kid, I think it suits him.” Tony signed and bumped his best friends shoulder. 

“I would say that I didn’t know that you were a dad but I’m not stupid. I went to the same smart kid school as you did.” 

“I’m not his dad.” 

“You’re a real bad liar Tones.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or contact me with tumblr (Science-lings) if you have an idea for a prompt


	3. Prompt 3: Yer a Wizard Nedward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ned wants to be more than a sidekick

“I don’t wanna be bitten by a super spider or anything, I just wanna be more useful than being a guy in the chair,” Ned complained after almost three years of being the backstage guy for Peter. 

 

“Hey, didn’t like all of the wizards turn evil or die? I could take you to Doctor Weirdo. Even if you don’t magically gain powers, I’m sure there are some interesting things at their wizard place. I think the guy was normal before he found the wizard people.” Peter handed Ned a Dorito. Peter was on the ceiling while Ned was pacing the correct direction of gravity. 

 

“I really want to meet a wizard…”

 

***

 

“No, I am not training your twelve-year-old friend to do magic,” Steven said without even letting them into the sanctum. 

 

“Yes, you are. We’re low on staff and you need to learn not to be a grumpy asshole.” Wong said from several feet inside of the building. 

 

“Excuse me for a moment.” Doctor Strange shut the door in the boy’s faces and Peter used his super-hearing to tell Ned what was happening beyond the heavy door. “I’m not training a kid. I’m not a teacher.”

 

“He is nicer than you were and we trained you.” 

 

“Yeah but it’s not his problem, it’s me.”

 

“You keep focusing on yourself. I this, Me that. This is not about you.” There was a heavy sigh, presumably coming from Strange. 

 

“Fine.” Strange opened the door. “Come on in. It’s cold out there.” 

 

“Thank’s Mr. Doctor Strange!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contact me on Tumblr (Science-lings) If you have any prompt ideas that you want me to write a little drabble for. I also accept comments but they're harder for me to keep track of.


	4. Prompt 4: Peter and Pepper Bonding Over Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't have to summarize this, it's exactly what it sounds like

Pepper had a long day of being the CEO of a massive tech company and she finally gave herself a break. She came back home and threw her unnecessary heels as far away from herself as possible. She didn’t even perceive anything beyond her need to lie down and rest for at least a moment. 

 

It took her a solid two minutes to realize that she wasn’t alone in the room and that something was going on. Peter, the kid that Tony introduced to her as Spider-Man that he had quickly become fond of, was sitting a chair away from her holding a Wii remote with it’s attached nunchuck playing something pretty and not stressful.

 

“What are you playing Pete?” she asked with a yawn rudely interrupting her.

 

“This is Super Mario Galaxy, It’s like Super Mario 64 but in space and there are these little star guys that help you out and a space princess,” Peter said as his short mustached character jumped in zero gravity. 

 

“I don’t know what that other game is that you compared this one too is but this one is pretty.” 

 

“Yeah, it’s less stressful than other games. Mostly. There are a bunch of levels where I win by chasing little alien bunnies.” Peter shrugged. “Do you wanna play? This one is a single player game but there are a bunch of multi-player ones.”

 

“I think I’ll just watch for now…” Pepper yawned and watched the colors on the screen. Eventually, though, Peter did get her to play a game that she ended up really liking. 

 

Peter introduced her to a game called super smash bros brawl. Pepper really liked the character of Samus who was a badass blonde girl in a metal suit while Peter really liked a tiny pink character called Kirby that could eat anything including weapons and her character. He also could suck in air and float up like a balloon.

 

After a few rounds of Peter beating Pepper as she got used to her character, she completely decimated Peter. Peter reacted pretty calm and was a good sport when he lost twenty times in a row. 

 

Tony came in after a long night of being in the workshop to see his wife and almost son aggressively pressing buttons on controllers. 

 

For once, Tony had to be the one to usher Pepper and Peter to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment or contact me on Tumblr (Science-lings) If you have a prompt you want me to write a little drabble on.


	5. Prompt 5: Peter meets the Avengers at random times and moments. And then when Tony finally presents him to them they think he was spying on them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter meets the Avengers at random times and moments. And then when Tony finally presents him to them they think he was spying on them

With Peter’s frequent escapades to the Avengers compound, Tony decided that the kid needed a cover. Because people had started to question him and Peter had no idea how to respond. Now Peter was Tony’s official intern.

 

He was bound to run into the actual Avengers when they came back. Tony had told him to stay away from them, not because they were dangerous, but because Natasha would find out who he was in a heartbeat. And most people don’t just chill with the Avengers, not even interns. Also, there was the fact that most of them didn’t know what secret identities were which was bad for a super-teen with one. 

 

Peter didn’t even know that the Avengers were supposed to be there, he just had a question for Mr. Stark and FRIDAY was down for a quick update, so he just decided to find him and ask. He took a few elevators and headed to Tony’s Iron suite where Tony tended to be if he wasn’t in the workshop.

 

Of course, to get to the suite, there was a hall that went through the main area where the Avengers would hang out when they weren’t busy. Peter had gone through the area a few times without seeing anyone so why was this time any different? This time, the Avengers weren’t on a mission.

 

They were just… chilling out. Hawkeye was literally on a little pink Nintendo DS. Black Widow was reading a Harry Potter book. Scarlet Witch was trying to teach the Vision how to cook. Peter felt a little bit stunned with the domesticity. Not being an Avenger, walking into the Avengers private quarters was instantly noticed. 

 

Thankfully, Peter had met Vision before and the robot guy stopped a superpowered brawl. 

 

“Are you looking for Mr. Stark Peter?” Vision said calmly. 

 

“Uh, yeah, FRIDAY is down and I needed to ask him something.”

 

“Who are you?” Wanda tilted her head in a way that Peter couldn’t figure out if it was scary or genuinely confused. 

 

“I’m Mr. Starks personal intern, uh, It’s cool to meet you but I have to go…” Peter backed away and left the room with his heart rate raised to the moon. 

 

This wasn’t the only time that Peter almost, but not completely, ran into the Avengers. Including when Peter was on a date and the Avengers happened to go to the same place and when Peter had just changed out of his Spider-Man ensemble after a fight with an actual supervillain that they had arrived a little bit late for. 

 

He didn’t know what they thought of him if they thought of him at all but it definitely wasn’t at all what they actually thought. 

 

Not only did the Avengers confront Mr. Stark about it, but they confronted him about it while Peter was within super-human earshot. 

 

“Where’d the kid come from Tony.” 

 

“The STEM high school in Queens.”

 

“You know what I mean… We’ve run into him a lot, do you think something might be going on?”

 

“What are you implying Rogers?”

 

“I think that Peter is spying on us. It’s not a coincidence that he’s everywhere.” 

 

“I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.” Tony seemed serious but if he wasn’t in front of Captain America, he would be laughing his ass off. Like Peter was. 

 

“Tony this could be serious.”

 

“It’s not. I know the kid, he’s not a spy. Who even came up with that idea? It’s ridiculous.”

 

“Natasha did actually. She thought that Peter acts strangely.”

 

“You have got to be kidding me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have a prompt idea that you want me to write a little drabble on, comment on here or send me an ask on Tumblr (Science-lings)


	6. Prompt 6: Peter's New Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter got into Avatar: The Last Airbender and won't stop calling Tony a metal-bender

Peter had rewatched the Avatar the last Airbender and Tony wasn’t happy with the consequences. 

 

When Peter got into something, he got a little obsessed. He had been obsessed with Star Wars, Iron Man (A phase shown through old photos that May embarrassed him by showing an enthusiastic Tony) and now the animated series Avatar. 

 

Tony had to stop Peter from shaving his head for a cosplay and almost had a heart attack that it was even something he had to deal with. Up to this point, the obsession had been endearing as Peter was pretty adorable when he got excited about things. 

 

Then, when Tony was testing his nanotech while Peter was working on another version of his web-fluid, Peter started a trend that managed to annoy Tony. Peter noticed Tony testing a part of the nanotech where it followed his brainwaves to create whatever he wants, and a gleam came to his eye. 

 

“Wow, Mr. Stark, you’re like a metal bender now huh.” 

 

“I could summon an Iron Man suit to my body in 2012 kiddo. I’m the closest thing to a metal bender besides Magneto.” 

 

“Yeah… Thor is totally a lightning bender. He even had the mentality.” Tony laughed. 

 

The first time it was fine. But Peter kept bringing it up. Enough times where it stopped being funny but still found a way to make it not enraging. He had a feeling that if It was anyone but Peter saying it, he would be a whole lot more willing to shut it down. 

 

Peter brought it up during battles and around the other Avengers and it took a full week for him to get over with. 

 

Then the next obsession started. And Tony had to learn how to endure. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any prompts, my ask box and comment sections are always open. My Tumblr is Science-lings


	7. Prompt 7: Peter got cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May helps Peter when it get's too cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May says a swear so if you're bothered by that, just skip the last sentence idk.

May knew about Peter being Spider-Man, during the next few years, she realized some good and bad things about his new mutation. Sure, he could stick to walls and able to catch things before they fell on the floor, which was helpful because they were both a little clumsy, but there were not so great things too. 

 

Namely when it started to get cold. It wasn’t even cold by her standards and Peter would shiver and wear sweaters and hoodies to school. He didn’t like rain or snow as much as he used to and the worst time was when there was a blizzard. Thankfully Peter wasn’t forced to go to school, but their heating wasn’t even close to enough. 

 

Peter kept telling her that he was fine and not to worry but she always knew when he was directly lying. So she went into ultimate mother mode. She dug out all of the old blankets and put them in the dryer to warm them up and get the dust off of them. She found an electric blanket and wrapped it around her kid before she prepared a mega batch of homemade hot chocolate, one of the only things she actually knew how to make. 

 

Peter had to stop her from trecking out into the snow to find Mr. Delmar’s cat. She made him wear his Spider-Suit once she found out about its heater and she forced him into the biggest fucking blanket burrito in history. 

 

Once Peter was at peak warm with May helping him drink his hot chocolate because his arms were pinned to his sides with about a dozen blankets, Peter started to look lethargic. May took this time to research on why the hell this was happening. 

 

Apparently, some spiders hibernated when they got cold and they couldn’t thermoregulate very well. Cool. Hopefully, Peter wouldn’t freeze to death every winter. Maybe May could convince Tony to make Peter a heat suit or something. She couldn’t keep him in a mega blanket sushi roll forever. 

 

But she would try. Because she would rather have him covered in blankets than fighting people with guns. Or magic. Or cosmic rocks that could shape reality. If she could keep Peter safe in any way, she would. But he was also the heroic type, which got pretty frustrating for her.

 

“May?” Peter said tiredly from his mountain of blankets. 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Thanks.” 

 

“I’m always going to take care of you. No matter what you think.” Peter seemed too tired to respond and she just combed a hand through his hair. “Every fucking time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send me prompts if you want. My tumblr is Science-lings.


	8. Prompt 8: Mama Rhodes Meets Peter Parker

Tony felt bad for not visiting Mama Rhodes more often, He just never had the time and she refused to fly from her home in Philadelphia. Tony didn’t know if she didn’t trust planes or if it was actually for health-related reasons like she constantly denied. 

 

They kept in touch though, Mama Rhodes would send Christmas cards and old pictures of him and his best friend along with long detailed letters in fancy handwriting. He would send her money and updates on his life that wasn’t in the news and some of his own pictures. After every avenger’s related scare, she would call him up to see if he was okay and to threaten him to take care of himself or she would fly up to new york to do it for him. 

 

Mama Rhodes had practically adopted him after his own parents died and he couldn’t have been more grateful for her. She treated him like he was her own and she never let him drown in his guilt when she was around. He sometimes heard her voice when he had been sucked into the black hole of self-deprecation, she would tell him to get up and eat and she would distract him with her wild stories from the past. 

 

It had been years since he had seen her in person, but this changed when he told her about Peppers pregnancy. She got so excited that she tried to get Rhodey to carry her a few states north in his war machine armor. He declined but she was excited to be there for the birth of her adopted son’s kid that she made her actual son drive her all the way there. 

 

While Tony was in the hospital room helping his wife give birth, Mama Rhodey met Tony’s family. That he had the audacity not to tell her about. She made sure to remember to give him a mouthful later. 

 

There was a kid in the waiting room with his aunt, Mama Rhodes only knew because she overheard things that they talked about. She noticed that they were here for the Starks too so she took it upon herself to introduce herself to them. She only relied on her cane for part of the trip fifteen feet away from her own chair. 

 

“I couldn’t help but overhear that we are here for the same reason, I’m Roberta Rhodes.” She smiled.

 

“Oh, you’re Uncle Rhodeys mom!” The teenager exclaimed in realization. Now that she looked closer, the child looked like he was a duplicate of her Anthony when James had brought him home for Christmas the first year they met. He had shadows under his eyes and a restless aura filled with tapping and subtle movement. 

 

She also noticed how he referred to her son as his uncle. For a moment she was confused as Tony had mentioned the one being born at this moment being his first child. She excused it as her age and dismissed the dialogue for a moment. 

 

She was about to continue the conversation when a nurse came up to them to tell them that the baby was there and healthy and that the parents were ready for people to come in. 

 

Her Anthony was beyond the door with tears in his eyes that he quickly tried to wipe away. He supported his wife’s arms as she weakly held the newborn. He smiled when he saw her and his face released some of its tension when he spotted the boy. The kid muttered something to Anthony about how hospitals were not a great place for him and he dismissed the concern that the comment created. 

 

The aunt went over to Pepper and softly congratulated her. Tony had a couple people on a video call on his futuristic hologram screen. Mama Rhodes vaguely recognized one of them as an Avenger and one of them was Tony’s bodyguard friend. 

 

“Hi Mama,” Anthony gave her a gentle side hug due to their size difference. “Do you wanna meet my kid?” 

 

“Well, I already met one of them,” Tony raised an eyebrow and looked at the teenager, who was fawning over the newborn. 

 

“You know he’s not actually my kid right?” 

 

“I may be deaf in one ear and losing my eyesight but I’m not an idiot Anthony.” 

 

“I would never accuse you of that.” 

 

“Tell me about him, you never mentioned him in your computer letters and I have some catching up to do.” 

 

“First of all, his name is Peter-” As Tony rambled on about his kid, Mama Rhodes had only one thought. She wondered if Anthony had found a way to clone himself like in a sci-fi movie. That kid was almost a mirror image of him and she didn’t see that as a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take prompts on my tumblr (Science-lings) and would really appreciate comments.


	9. Prompt 9: Babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has to babysit the Bartons and Cassie Lang.

It wasn’t supposed to be a hard mission, it just required all of the Avengers. Not including Peter. Right before Tony and Peppers wedding. When Hawkeyes secret family ended up staying in the tower for convenience. And Mrs. Barton, bless her, needed a break. So Peter volunteered to Babysit while Mrs. Barton and May went out to de-stress. 

 

Peter could handle kids, he had handled kids before, it was practically in his job resume as Spider-Man. Walking kids home, saving kids from bullies, it was all part of being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. However, entertaining three kids and one toddler for several hours wasn’t something he had experience with. He never had any siblings and he wasn’t exactly the go-to babysitter for his apartment building. 

 

He would probably be fine. Hopefully. It didn’t help that Scott Lang was invited last minute, and it was his weekend with his little girl. He didn’t have time to call her mom and step-dad so he let her be on the quinjet that dropped her off in New York where all of the other Avengers were meeting up. Ant-Man had as much logic as Peter did and he didn’t complain, Cassie was a delight to be around. Peter could handle it. 

 

A half hour later when Peter was covered in his own webbing, he admitted that maybe he couldn’t handle it. But Peter was not known for asking for help. He usually just tried to handle everything himself and people got mad at him for it. Time to do it again. 

 

Nathaniel couldn’t quite walk yet so Peter had to constantly help him around, he also hated being alone so Peter had to pick him up a lot too. This was fine, Peter could just use his sticking powers to keep the kid attached to him if he ever needed two hands and even for several hours the kid would never get too heavy. 

 

Peter instantly became the best babysitter ever when he found the Avengers-themed mini ice cream cartons. The Barton kids all wanted the Hawkeye themed ice cream flavor, not because it had their dad on it, but because it was cookie dough flavor. Nathaniel got the red velvet flavored black widow ice cream because she was his favorite aunt. Cassie found a apple pie flavored Captain America ice cream and Peter went for the Hulk flavor because fudge was delicious. 

 

They all piled onto the couch and ate the ice cream while excitedly watching a movie. It took a while to pick out one that they all wanted to watch, eventually, they went with ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ because it was a good mix of dragons and cute things. It appealed to everyone. 

 

There were a bunch of times where one of the kids would go off in a long hypothetical tangent about dragons and Peter could barely understand it but he pretended to. He would ask them which dragon was their favorite and what characters they liked and they got so excited to share their opinions that it was kind of funny. 

 

After the movie, they wanted to play like they had dragons and surprise surprise, Peter was the dragon and he carried them all around like he was flying. He was very thankful for his superpowers making everything easier, his spider-sense never failed to go off if one of them was about to fall or do something just as stupid. 

 

He told them about being Spider-Man and that it was a big secret and not to tell anybody. He entertained them by sticking to the ceiling and doing flips, which they seemed to like a whole lot. Of course, screaming kids weren’t exactly great for someone with super-hearing but he endured. He handled it by telling them that Spider-Man had magic ears that hurt when things were too loud and they whispered everything for ten minutes before it was back to loud giggling and squealing. 

 

Eventually, though, all of the energy produced by all of the kids was cut off and Peter declared its naptime. Mostly for himself. He was the one who needed a nap the most. He got out a bunch of blankets and they piled onto the couch, 

 

Their bedtime story was Peter telling them about how he got his powers and trying to convert all of the scientific terms into language that kids could understand. It was kind of hard. Peter fell asleep holding Nate with Cooper and Lila leaning on his shoulders and Cassie laying on top of them all. 

 

When the Avengers and their non-powered family members got back, they were all still asleep. Several pictures were taken and they were desperate not to wake anyone up. Clint just took Nathaniel from Peter’s arms and ordered the rest of the Avengers to pick a child to help take them to the beds they had been given. Natasha carried Lila and Steve carried Cooper to their rooms. Tony gently woke Peter up as he was a little less easy to carry. But he let the kid lean on him and lead him to his own room. 

 

“Goodnight bud,” Tony said as they made it to Peter’s room. 

 

“G’night Mr.Stark,” Peter said, a little slurred. “I love you.” Tony didn’t know if it was from habit or Peter was too tired to think about what he said but he was a little stunned nonetheless. 

 

“Love you too kiddo.” He replied anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it! Send me prompts through my tumblr (Science-lings) and I'll probably write them. Comments are very much appreciated.


	10. Gods and Heroes (not a prompt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watch out, I'm getting poetic

The gods are still alive. They take different names now. They take the place of heroes. 

The blood of Ares flows through the veins of a redhaired ruthless woman who takes no prisoners and leaves no survivors. She fights for other’s because she has lost herself decades ago. She always has blood on her hands no matter how many times she has tried to scrub them. She has a heart of steel and a cold exterior that had been forged in a cold room when she was practically a toddler. She sleeps with one eye open and keeps a blade in her sleeve. Like a spider, she weaves perfect traps and her prey never get’s away. She is too broken to be breakable. 

The blood of Zeus belongs to the American man. With moments of rage so powerful, not even lightning could stop him. A storm of a person, calm but ever moving. The leader of the heroes and the only one that can get them to listen to his softly spoken word. The prideful god is not perfect however, he cannot see further than the moment and believes that the outcome is more important than the path there. Brave and generous he may be but complete, he is not. 

The blood of Athena flows through the quiet scientist. His genius knows no bounds and angering him causes earthquakes. He is calm and always collecting information, however, he is afraid. Of himself, of losing himself, of feeling too much. The quiet man can crush mountains but he has yet to pull himself together. Anger is his enemy and his strength. He is too intelligent not to know it. 

The blood of Poseidon flows through another god. With strength in heart and body, the god has sunshine in his soul but sorrow in his bones. WIth the strength to keep going, after all is lost, the strongest hero has hope to power the universe. He has second chances given freely even if they aren’t deserved. Loss is part of him but he is so much stronger than his pain. He is power.

The blood of Apollo flows through the archer. Steady hands and comedy, endless tricks and the lack of silence make the man. Pride and a need to protect are the muscles in the archer’s body. Piercing insults and arrows pointed at the heart. Secrets that will never be kept forever and love that can never be stolen for very long. Living off of the knowledge that nothing will ever turn out okay and that we must love while we can build the archer.

The blood of Hephaestus flows through the futurist. The hero who built himself. When left without a heart he made himself a new one. The star in his heart and the armor never fully saving its creator doesn’t make the man, the man makes himself. With genius to rival Athena and prophecies to rival Apollo, the futurist has been doomed to be ignored and written off. But the futurist is more than a prophet and more than a suit of armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'm still working on prompts, it'll take me a while and I'm still taking them on Science-lings and Sciencelings-writes on tumblr. I'll also take AUs and headcanons that I can try to make something bigger out of. Anyway, I hope you liked whatever this is. Comment if you did!


	11. Gods AU thing (not a prompt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> people on tumblr seemed to like it so I made more!

Heroes are gods who have learned about humanity, who have seen humility and felt sympathy. Heroes are the gods that have moved on to caring. Gods are the heroes without souls.

The blood of Hecate flows through the red witch. Powered by fear and the misplaced undying need for revenge. Her bones are steel and her skin magic. Destruction and rage sent on a dark path that only selfishness freed her from. Her loss defined her with her power as her only desperate anchor. She was lost before she found herself and pulled herself away from the darkness. For years, she thought that pain was the only thing she could feel and the only thing she could trust. She was wrong.

 

The blood of Hermès flows through the bird. With metal wings shielding him from the truth while quick wit and a smooth voice cover the hidden trauma and proud loyalty. Experience is the birds strength and his cool head is his weakness. Loyalty blinds him from truth and friends whisper everything in his ear. He is sensitive and a good judge of character, he thinks he knows what’s right and that is his only goal. He is a pillar of support and a shield above all. He is solid even if he is misled.

 

The blood of Aphrodite flows through the criminal. He values love above all else, love for his family, love for his friends, love for forgiveness. He lives off of love and strives to become better without having himself in mind. He cares too much to be ignored and sacrifices too much to be forgotten. He lives for others more than he thinks for himself. His smiles are made of sunshine and his heart of fools gold. He’s selfless and carefree and spontaneous, passionate and protective, risking his life for people he just barely met. For love isn’t just romantic, love is widespread and the most powerful force in the universe.

 

The blood of Hades flows through the veins of the brainwashed murderer. Decades of torture erased the person behind the mask, forcing himself to rebuild himself. Framed, manipulated, created from nothing to be a villain. Feared by the most feared despite being played like a puppet. Never freed, never saved, only picked up from the ground. The wolf knows that he must heal and repair before he can even attempt to be something else. The wolf is covered in darkness but willing to let the light in. Even for him there is hope.

 

The blood of Hestia flows through the colonel. The man that creates a gravity, warm, welcoming. He can make a home out of anything and anyone. Heal the most broken and support the weakest. His strength doesn’t come from being supportive though. He is caring and thoughtful, powerful and saving. A light at the end of the tunnel, a friend that will never leave your side. Often overlooked and doubted but always respected in the end. He is unafraid and unashamed. He is the hidden power.

 

The blood of Artemis flows within the king. The panther connected to all life and inspired by it. Serene and as glorifying as the moon herself. Brutal and unseen, dark and patient, fair and unwavering, brave and wise the panther king defines. Not cold, not cruel, not unloving. But a good man and a good king, if such a thing can coexist. More than a protector of his kingdom but a protector of the world. The king never falls without standing back up. His strength comes from his diligence. His power comes from his people. His wisdom comes from his ancestors mistakes. He is the silent predator. The protector.

 

The blood of Hera flows through the wasp. A brutal but thoughtful woman. Always contemplating on the best way to get what she wants. A hard extortion from pain and unhealthily delayed loss. Only softened by genuine kindness that she never thought still existed. Forced to be strong after tragedy and never letting her guard down. Always an expert in her dealings, never letting anyone else get the upper hand. Fearing that not being strong would make her crumble when she was never on her own in the first place. Her strength comes from her desperation. Her power comes from her knowledge.

 

The blood of Demeter flows inside the CEO. The woman containing an icy warmth that both entraps and keeps the soul at bay. The unseen savior who can kill a man in high heels. Her power is silent but widespread. Capable and confident, bright and beautiful even when the world is on fire. Because she will be the one to set it aflame. Sweet venom shaped by a silver tongue hidden by subtle insecurity and eyes that contain the ever changing ocean. She may look delicate but she has control over the world. She controls the most powerful pieces on the chess board and has every intention to win the game. Her power comes from her mind, her strength comes from her heart.

 

The blood of Persephone flows through the veins of the spider. His heart contains the sun and the optimism of spring despite the pain and darkness he has felt. He has been broken over and over yet he still stands strong and unwavering. He shows that he is merciful and kind toward anyone no matter how evil or small. He’s stronger than diamonds and as quick witted as Athena herself. He is the hopeful future, the restless peace and the constant yearning for more. His power is his responsibility and his strength is his kindness.

 

You see, the gods aren’t gone. They’re just alive.


	12. Prompt game: 'Dear Diary'

It was Rhodey who suggested that Tony go to a therapist after his parent's deaths. At first, Tony adamantly refused. Stark men were made of iron and only people who couldn’t handle their problems went to therapy. Tony was doing just fine. 

 

But he really wasn’t. And Rhodey was the only one that noticed. Obidiah didn’t see it or at least didn’t comment on it, and becoming the CEO right afterward wasn’t exactly the best thing for his mental health. 

 

But he was a celebrity, it was hard for anyone besides Rhodey to see past that. He went years without dealing with his problems. but eventually, it got too much for him. He broke down. And no one noticed. Rhodey wasn’t there to pick him up again. 

 

He decided to try therapy. If not for himself, for his company. Obie always discouraged it, said he didn’t need it, maybe out of spite Tony ended up going.

 

The therapist was nice, she didn’t seem to care about who he was and always validated his problems, no matter how small he thought they were. He started closed off but after a few months of weekly sessions, he opened up. So much so that she suggested that he keep a journal to vent in. 

 

Keeping a diary was silly, stupid even. What if someone saw it? What if Obie saw it? He would be so disappointed... What if the press saw it and published his struggles to the world? No...no venting journal. 

 

He only remembered the idea of the journal after he made the most secure server in the world. It would take years for even the fastest program to breach it. Only then did he feel almost safe enough to start writing. Even then, he didn’t know where to start. So he said fuck it and wrote down anything that he could come up with. He was sure that he repeated himself and he constantly referred to his father as a string of foul words that even then couldn’t describe the disgust he felt for the man. 

 

He did admit that it felt better for it to go somewhere instead of burning inside of him forever. But eventually that wasn’t enough and he started an anonymous blog.

 

it started with “Dear Diary,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these are short, but these are mostly side projects to break up my time writing other fics. I take prompts on my tumblr account Science-lings and sciencelings-writes, and I promise I'll get to them eventually but they might be a little bit short. I love you all, thanks for reading!


	13. Prompt game: She's hiding behind the sofa

Peter visits every weekend from MIT. Morgan is usually the most excited when this happens. She runs up to the door as fast as her little unstable legs can carry her and Peter picks her up as easily as if she were a stuffed bear. He would always smile and let her spout her nonsense and rambling stories that she got from her father and her brother. She would always grab onto him as if she was afraid that he was going to leave. Tony would always stand back and catch Peter’s excited glances. 

 

Peter and his little sister often played hide and seek, she would look on every ceiling for him and he would pretend that he never saw her under a bunch of clothes in the laundry room. 

 

One of these times, when Peter came to visit and he was going to play with his sister, Tony wanted to play too. Well, not play, just be involved. Giving hints. He didn’t want to try to climb over any obstacles as his body was starting to match his age. He just sat on the couch and watched Peter pace on the ceiling loudly wondering where Morgan was. The little girl would always giggle and give herself away but Peter always pretended not to hear. 

 

Unfortunately, it was also time for dinner, Pepper wanted to cook it this time as she didn’t think it was that funny to make Tony become the trophy housewife. He took it too far sometimes. The game had to come to an end and Peter refused to actually find Morgan. 

 

So Tony had to take matters into his own hands. 

 

“She’s hiding behind the sofa.” He said while still looking at his phone. 

 

“Daddy! Petey that’s cheating!” His daughter protested. 

 

“No it’s not, Dad’s allowed to give hints!” Peter smiled as he popped up next to Morgan and swung her into his arms. 

 

“No, no, no!” Morgan whined. 

 

“Come on my offspring, It’s time for dinner and May didn’t cook!” Tony hopped up and motioned for his kids to follow. 

 

“I heard that!” May yelled from the adjacent room. Tony and Peter only smiled back. 

 

They were both glad to have a family again.


	14. Prompt-  Orpheus and Eurydice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> me, writing, an X-men apocalypse au? It's more likely than you think. Warning for whump. And gsw.

There was a knife to his boy’s throat. Tony could barely breathe. May was behind him with a hand to her mouth to keep herself from breaking. 

 

“We found you Stark! Come with us and we’ll let the brat go!” one of the men yelled out, pressing the blade closer to Peter’s thyroid. He was still in his school clothes. Not ready to be spider-man-ing. 

 

“Fine… Let him go.” Tony said desperately. He raised his hands above his head in surrender. Anything to keep Peter safe. 

 

Peter was pushed violently forward into his father’s arms. He had tears in his eyes. 

 

“Please don’t let them take you…” he muttered. 

 

“I have no choice, they’ll kill you,” Tony replied quietly. He let his kid go and let May rush over to protectively embrace her child. 

 

“No please! I won’t let you take him!” Peter yelled with May trying to calm him down and several guns pointed in Tony’s direction. The forest around them seemed to wake up. The birds flew around the trees and neared the clearing where the hostage situation was. The chilling silence was replaced with the eery sounds of nature being amplified.

 

“The kid is one of them!” One of the armed men guessed.

 

“He doesn’t know how to control it-” Tony tried to put the attention back on him. 

 

“I won’t let you take him!” Peter yelled as several large birds, including an eagle dove at the armed men causing an impressive amount of chaos. 

 

“Make him stop!” One of the bad guys yelled out before a shot rang out amongst the trees. Tony spun to see May positioned in front of Peter, however, it didn’t help. There was blood coming out of her back and out of Peter’s abdomen. 

 

Tony instantly ran to them and knelt next to them. May was gasping for breath and Peter cried out in pain. But the chaos with the birds was over. Tony felt his heart in his throat and acidic tears in his eyes. 

 

“Please no…” He sobbed. The armed men didn’t move, none of them actually planned on killing anyone. 

 

“I’m sorry…” Peter gasped as May started to go still. Tony hoped that there was still time to save her but he wasn’t sure.

 

“No… no… we’re going to save you…” Tony begged. “Stay awake Pete please,” 

 

“I’m sorry…” Peters’ voice was weak. Tony had never felt so angry. He looked up from his son for a moment and raised his hand. The armed men’s guns floated from out of their hands and pointed towards them and the symphony of clicks as they cocked was music to Tony’s ears. He felt the gun with a single less bullet and used it to shoot the man who held it. He had shot his kid and the kid’s aunt. There was no room for forgiveness there. 

 

“If you tell anyone who I am, I will not hesitate to kill you.” His rage-filled words weren’t the only reason that the men went running. 

 

But Peter and May were still shot and bleeding horrific amounts. 

 

And Tony didn’t know if he could save them.


	15. Peter Cooks for Tony

To be fair, Peter didn’t know how to cook. But he could follow a recipe if he was extremely focused. And even then, only simple bakery items like cake and cookies. Otherwise, he was a disaster in the kitchen. 

 

Peter only just recently noticed that it was the anniversary of Tony’s parent's deaths. Tony was really withdrawn and not nearly as talkative today. He hid in his workshop more than usual and both Pepper and May suggested that he made something for Tony. They were both busy that day but still had trust in Peter. Apparently. 

 

While Tony was moping in his workshop, Peter climbed up onto the high shelf that held the cookbooks and one of them was old and labeled as the Carbonell family cookbook. From what he could see, a lot of it was partially in Italian. Thankfully, after living with May, Peter knew enough of the language to have an idea of what to do. 

 

So he got to work. It took a while... about three hours, but he managed to make Bonbolone, the Italian version of a filled doughnut. He messed up a few of them but he almost cried when a few turned out really good. They were fluffy and beautiful even if a few of them were weirdly shaped. Peter was practically jumping when he asked for FRIDAY to bring Tony into the dining room. 

 

There were an anxious few minutes where Peter was constantly second-guessing himself and he tapped the counter to the beat of an unheard song. Eventually, Tony showed up. Instead of looking like he was hiding a forlorn expression he looked confused. He sniffed the air a little. 

 

“What the hell... what’s all this?” The man asked as his eyes fell on the desserts.

 

“Uh, you looked like you needed some cheering up and-” Peter stuttered before being engulfed in a massive hug. 

 

“Thanks kid...” Tony said softly.

 

“No problem.” Peter grinned. 

 

“You know that my mom used to make these... Have I ever told you about my mom?” Tony reached for a pastry with his arm still around his kid. 

 

“No... tell me about her.” Peter picked up his own.

 

“So... She loved to play the piano right-”


	16. Prompt: figuring out sexuality

Peter was fourteen when he realized that he might not be straight. This was also when he got bitten by a radioactive spider so he kind of postponed the whole thinking about who he liked because he was too busy sticking to things. 

 

Then his uncle died and he focused on that a lot with his wonderings about sexuality in the background of his mind. Then he met Tony Stark who was one of those famous people that everyone knows is not straight so he got kind of too excited. The guy wasn’t just his superhero hero, but also his hero as a person. If that makes any sense. 

 

It was only after the whole mess with the Vulture and May finding out about Spider-Man, that Peter was able to actually think about who the fuck he liked. It was actually pretty confusing. He saw some guys that he thought were hot and he saw girls that he liked and sometimes he didn’t feel like he liked anyone and it was just a mess while he tried to figure it out and put labels on what he felt. 

 

He joined LGBT groups as an ally at first because he didn’t want to confess that he was questioning what he felt and he learned all the names for what people felt. He learned that there was a difference between romantic orientations and sexual orientations and that there were names for everything. It was pretty exciting and he only ended up talking to Ned about it. 

 

He was never sure how May would react, although he was sure that she would still love him, he just never heard her talk about anything to do with gay stuff. But it wouldn’t matter anyway, Peter was horrible at keeping secrets and May knew her nephew inside and out. She knew when something was wrong and when he started coming home happier and with a colorful pin on the inside of his jacket. 

 

After a few months, she confronted him about it. At first, she had wanted him to come to her about it when he was ready but she thought that pulling off the bandage would be easier and would save him the stress. Because of course, she would support him no matter what. It was a particularly good day when she decided to bring it up. 

 

“So Peter... do you remember when gay marriage was legalized and then a few months later, Ultron decided to be a thing and everyone blamed this end of the world on being nice to the gays.” 

 

“Uh, yeah. That was weird.” 

 

“Do you remember how happy I was when gay marriage was legalized.” 

 

“I don’t... I was not politically aware.” Peter said nervously. 

 

“I was very happy. Do you want to know why?”

 

“...why...”

 

“Because I’m Bisexual. I mean I was in a straight relationship with your uncle but I had a lot of lesbian friends, remember Audrey?”

 

“Yeah, she’s the blonde one right?” 

 

“Yup, She’s a lesbian, and we even dated for a bit in high school.” 

 

“Really? So you wouldn’t be mad if I said that I uh... wasn’t straight?”

 

“Why would I be mad? You’re literally a vigilante on your downtime, I would much rather have you be dating your friend than catch speeding cars for fun.” 

 

“I’m... not dating Ned.” Peter sputtered. May raised one of her eyebrows and Peter sighed. “Okay, that one time was be trying to change out of my Spider-Man suit it doesn’t count.” 

 

“Uh huh... Well, no wonder you idolize Mr. Stark so much. Not many proud queer people are also superheroes.” 

 

“You’d be surprised.” 

 

“Do you have some superhero gossip Spider-Man?” May grinned. 

 

“I haven’t met that many superheroes but Tony likes to talk. So you know Black Widow?” Peter grinned back. He didn’t think that it would be... this easy to talk about this kind of stuff to someone who meant so much to him but it was definitely a surprise to find out that his aunt was in the community too. Later he learned that she didn’t feel like she could talk about it because she married Ben and that was a pretty straight thing to do. She didn’t feel part of the community even though she liked girls just as much as she liked guys. 

 

But Peter promised her that she was still perfectly queer. They googled the dates for the next pride festival. And they started to plan for it even though Peter still wasn’t sure what flags he would wear, he didn’t even know what he identified as. May assured him that he’ll figure it out eventually and for the first time in years, Peter was able to breathe again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inside joke with all my irondad discord family: Audrey was the name we made up for Harley Keeners Mom. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Prompt: Protect Trans Kids

Right when Bruce was able to synthesize am anesthetic that would work with Peters mutation, He begged to get top surgery. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to be Spider-Man during the recovery period but with a practically spandex suit, not having tits would be pretty nice. 

 

Sure, Mr. Stark had figured out a binder that was practically invisible and miraculously still let him breathe. He still had to take frequent breaks but he was responsible enough to take care of those kinds of things. He had so many baggy hoodies at this point that it was crazy. What? They were really convenient. 

 

Thankfully, Mr. Stark agreed to let him have the surgery. They did have a trustworthy group of doctors that the remaining Avengers relied on. It would be hard to find a doctor that would use a special kind of anesthetic for this random kid. 

 

Peter had always kind of been afraid of hospitals anyway and he had once seen a video that talked about the possibility of anesthesia awareness. Where the person was more paralyzed and felt every scalpel ripping into their body but Tony promised that they’ll have brain monitors on him so that nothing scary would happen or if it did, they’ll know and fix it immediately. 

 

The day of the surgery, Peter was really nervous but he had May and Mr. Stark with him and the promise that Colonel Rhodes would be there when he awoke. Ned promised to come around after school which Peter was also thankful about. He was told that he would need at least a day with intensive recovery with how intense his healing factor was. They said that he wouldn’t even have any scarring. So that was pretty rad. 

 

Falling asleep was easy and he felt like he had just closed his eyes before he woke up again, tit-less. With May, Tony, and Rhodey in the infirmary room waiting for him to wake up.

 

The first thing he noticed was Rhodey’s shirt. It was dark gray with white text that said, ‘Protect Trans Kids.’ Peter immediately smiled. The woozy effect faded away pretty quickly with Peter’s metabolism, thank god he didn’t do anything too embarrassing. Just cry and try to hug everyone even though his chest was cut into a lot. He just got half hugs. 

 

He recovered enough to move around after a day but still wasn’t ready to go so far as to be Spider-Man but eventually, he was. 

 

His first mission after surgery was with both Tony and Rhodey. Okay, it wasn’t a mission, he was just out with Tony and Rhodey at a science fair at MIT when they got ambushed by some people who recognized Tony and not in the fangirl way but in a murder-y way. 

 

Tony stepped in front of Rhodey and Rhodey stood protectively in front of Peter, despite Peter being the only person like that can heal from a bullet wound in like twelve hours. He was annoyed that he was the one that needed to be protected. 

 

Peter noticed that Rhodey wore the Protect Trans Kids shirt while this was happening and he seemed to be taking this slogan too seriously. Tony tried to negotiate with the bad guys but Peter didn’t attempt to listen. He just placed his unfolding web-shooter on his wrist and thought about what to do. 

 

A shot was fired and it would’ve hit Peter if Rhodey hadn’t moved his leg and let the bullet hit his leg brace. Unfortunately, the leg brace wasn’t meant to catch bullets and Rhodey started to tumble to the ground. Thankfully, Peter caught his mentors best friend and shot webs at the shooter. Tony finished them off pretty quickly and he helped Peter carry Rhodey to where Tony could fix his brace. 

 

“Thanks, Mr. Rhodes, I mean, I think you’re taking your T-shirt slogans too seriously,” Peter said as Tony was working on the brace, Rhodey laughed. 

 

“I’m taking it just as seriously as I need to, and thanks for catching me, kid.”

 

“Yeah, he’s good at that,” Tony muttered.

 

“Can we get ice cream? I think we earned it.” Both Tony and Rhodey laughed. 

 

“Sure bud.”


	18. Prompt- Ghosts

Ben had always been there. Ever since he had died and his last sight had been his nephew's tearful face. He had been watching. No one could see him, but he was still there. Worrying. He was glad that he was already dead because ghosts didn’t have heart problems.

 

And with Peter as his nephew, there was enough stress on his ghost heart. 

 

He was never able to do anything about Peter’s escapades, so he cheered him on and did his best to be there. He saw his almost son do stupid things and meet a celebrity that was also a superhero. 

 

The thing was, he wasn’t jealous, he wasn’t being replaced, he knew that his kid deserved as much love as he could fit into that tiny little body of his. Because Peter gave more love than he could ever hope to receive in return. And to be honest, it was kind of nice to watch Tony Stark warm up to Bens kid. 

 

It was kind of hard to watch Peter get hurt all of the time because holy shit did the kid get hurt, but he was always so proud of him. The way he always got back up tried his hardest to save everyone, god Ben was proud. But he also saw the bad things too. His kid waking up from nightmares, in tears, trying to keep himself quiet so that May wouldn’t wake up. And Ben absolutely hated that he couldn’t help him, couldn’t hold him until he got back to sleep. Couldn’t do anything. 

 

He watched Tony find out about Peter being the brave little quiet kid at the stark expo so many years prior, and although Ben had not seen the scene personally, he heard the story so many times, but he would be lying if he said that he didn’t completely believe his kid. What kind of kid wouldn’t run from a murderous robot? Apparently his kid. and now, Tony Sark's kid. 

 

Ben figured this out when the billionaire did exactly what Ben would’ve done if he was still around. Ben saw Tony tell his AI to alert him when Peter had a nightmare because he didn’t want the kid to ever be alone. He saw Tony comfort Peter when the nightmares did happen and cradle him in his arms while he cried all of his tears out. Ben didn’t miss the small smiles Tony would give Peter while they were working or the proud looks he would briefly give. 

 

He didn’t miss when Peter lit up whenever Tony Stark was mentioned, although he had done it before, now it was different. Peter used to think of Tony as some untouchable superman worthy of the highest praise, now a lot of that didn’t change, Peter still had massive respect and, let’s face it, love for the man, but now it was more personal. It was more real. 

 

With someone like Tony, Peter felt safe enough to heal. That's all Ben could hope for after everything that the kid went through. 

 

Even in the kid’s line of work, Ben didn’t plan on seeing him so soon. He didn’t plan on watching the kid sneak to another planet and sob into his second father-figure shoulder as half of the universe was decimated. 

 

Just like Tony had done for Ben when he had left, he found Peter again. Because both men were not going to let the kid be alone. They knew he didn’t deserve that.


	19. Remember Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this one turned out way sadder than I meant it too... I also wrote it on my phone so it's super short.

Peter visited every week, or whenever he got the chance. He always brought a scrapbook or the digital equivalent to hopefully jog his old mentor’s memory but it was never any use. 

 

Tony would always ask hem who he was like he was stuck in a time loop. Peter would always say his name and smile at him even though his eyes were blank and he never recognized him. 

 

Every time it would be painful to see him forget but Peter kept coming, kept reminding, kept trying. But it was only getting worse. He would have to remind Tony about who he was every hour… after a few minutes… but Peter tried not to get impatient. He mostly got sad. 

 

Tony tried, Peter knew that he did. The man was known for his brain but for once it was his weakness. 

 

It was one of the last days that Peter would be able to visit, Tony was getting weaker each day. They estimated that he didn’t have very long on this earth. But Peter tried to think positively. 

 

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter conjured up his normal optimism even though he had lost it long ago. At least whenever he visited this goddamn nursing home. 

 

“Peter?” Tony’s voice was weak but Peter stopped in his tracks. Because Tony didn’t forget him… or at least not his name. 

 

“y-yeah… it’s me. Hey, I have something for you!” He tried really hard to keep from crying but at this point, he didn’t think he could hold back a few tears. 

 

“Hey, kiddo… what’s wrong?” A weak hand cradled Peter’s jaw and wiped away a few tears. 

 

“Nothing Tony… Everything is fine.” Even though it didn’t feel like it.


	20. Diverging Timeline Prompt- Natasha Stayed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tumblr prompt based on this post: https://science-lings.tumblr.com/post/183417485379/au-prompts

Natasha was tired of running. She knew that she had to face her mistakes one day. She knew that she had betrayed Tony’s trust and had let team cap go. It was not a calculated decision. It was on the spot and she regretted it. But because she wanted to stop the double-crossing habit, she confronted her mistake head on. 

 

She could’ve gone with Steve to Wakanda to hide from Tony and the accords, but Tony was her friend. At least she thought of him like he was. She wasn’t sure if she deserved to be his friend anymore. She had mistaken his pain for selfishness. She sometimes forgot that not everyone was like her. Emotionless. Empty. 

 

Tony believed in the accords. As someone without any enhancements, he saw the entire situation from the eyes of the civilian. He understood the feeling of being on the outside looking in. From the side that saw the wrongdoings of the Avengers and the pain that their mistakes caused. She had agreed with the accords because she knew that they had to get along with the world. They couldn’t afford to be criminals. 

 

She was going to run away, but leaving Tony alone would be cruel. She had once considered him a friend and hoped to regain that position. She held back automatic criticisms and started to try to understand him. 

 

Tony was a man that wore his heart on his sleeve and then painted it when he was in public. He was motivated by his heart and his desperate need to be prepared for the future. He had good intentions and Natasha realized that no one ever listened to him. They all thought that he was crazy or would blame his PTSD. Natasha had seen both of those things but Tony was neither. He was preparing for a battle that he knew would come eventually, The loss of most of the Avengers and his best friend being so badly injured was quite the blow to him. But he stood back up and kept working to make up for their losses. 

 

During this period of Tony getting his shit together, Natasha got the chance to meet the other spider-themed superhero. She could see why Tony liked Peter. The kid was genuinely good. His motives for being a hero and his dedication rivaled Tony’s. Once she met him, she designated herself to train him. The kid was good but relied completely on his instincts and super abilities. Tony warned her not to break the kid, but Peter retorted excitedly with a comment about his healing factor. 

 

In any case, she trained him and got to know more about him. Sure, she kicked his ass a lot but he learned really quickly and his enhancements helped. She let herself get attached to him, he was one of the good ones. 

 

Natasha had seen the letter that Tony had gotten from Steve. It was a poor excuse of an apology but she was slowly able to help Tony heal from the injustice done to him. 

 

If she hadn’t chosen to actively try to redeem herself, she didn’t think that she would be so generous. Even if she had made the same choice to stay. But she was glad that she did. 

 

Because of her effort, when the time came, Tony was able to pick up that flip phone. Because she had taught him that sometimes the ends justify the means. It would hurt to see Rogers and it would be hard to pick up that phone. But Tony did it. They were stronger together. They had done as much as they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! mostly because all of the writing I've been doing has been for the iron man big bang and prompts too short to go on here. Make sure to visit my tumblrs- science-lings, sciencelings-writes if you want to see them all. I'm currently posting parts of an unfinished fic based on Tony and his children and I'll post the full fic on here when I'm done. Well, not as a chapter on this fic but as its own. whatever. Anyway, I take prompts but don't be surprised if they take a while, I'm a little busy.


	21. Bullet Point Pain: Pain based Soul Connection AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was originally written as a Tumblr post and I haven't completely changed the formatting but I was proud of it so whatever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this one is more whumpy than I usually do so whoops, original post: https://sciencelings-writes.tumblr.com/post/183435556596/irondad-soulmates-au-pain

-Peter was about 7 during iron man 1 so imagine that kind of pain. He had only been with Aunt May and Uncle Ben for a year and they panicked and took him to the hospital. There was nothing physically wrong with him so the doctors decided that it was his soul connection. 

 

-Ever since the initial violent chest pain, he had been sick until he was about 9-10. Then everything was fine, he was constantly in very minor pain but he could handle it and he never told Ben or May. 

 

-Then the events of the Avengers. Peter got bruises from nowhere and would bleed a little and felt a little sad at one point. But it was during the alien invasion that it got bad. Peter watched the TV as Iron Man flew into the portal. He mistook Tony’s fear with his own and almost broke down crying. After that, he had been afraid of space and aliens. He slowly got to the point where he could watch Star Wars and it became his favorite franchise. duh. 

 

-During when everyone thought that Tony was dead, Peter felt brief bouts of debilitating terror and intense cold even though he was indoors and had the heat on. 

 

-Tony felt when Peter got bullied, he got bruises and had the breath knocked out of him on multiple occasions but never knew why. he had grown up not thinking that he had a soul connection. 

 

-Before Ultron, Tony felt a painful sting on the back of his neck and got violently sick for a few days after that. Only weeks later he was hit with longlasting violent sadness that reminded him of how he felt when his parents died but somehow worse. He could distinctly feel like his hands were warm and wet despite them being completely dry. 

 

-During and after Ultron, Peter and Tony’s combined guilt was a violent pain on its own, They both felt both the guilt of not being able to save Ben and being manipulated into making a murderbot. So that sucked. 

 

-Guilt felt like the only emotion that either of them could feel. Until they met during civil war. Peter’s excitement bled into Tony’s fear and they evened each other out a little. 

 

-Neither of them figured it out while they were around each other though. Genius who

 

-Peter almost accidentally killed someone when Tony found out that his parents were murdered. The rage and betrayal made him force himself out of being Spider-Man for the rest of the day because he was afraid about what would happen if he lost control. 

 

-Tony realized that their souls were connected when he took away Peter’s suit. He felt so strongly that he had disappointed someone important to him that he had to stop himself from tearing up. He knew, but he didn’t tell Peter. 

 

-Now Tony knew why on one night he felt traumatizing fear for almost ten minutes before violent pain erupted throughout his body and he felt like he was being crushed. He couldn’t breathe and he gasped for air while he tried to look on security cameras for Peter. He really regretted taking away the kids suit and Peter’s overwhelming fear bled into him and he could barely act. 

 

-when he could breathe again, he could still tell that Peter hadn’t gone home. He felt cold winds and like he was falling before burning heat and sharp pains as Peter was battling the vulture. 

 

-He gave the suit back as soon as he could 

 

-Between the vulture and infinity war, it wasn’t too bad. Peter still didn’t know that his soul was connected to Tony’s but he would find out soon. 

 

-He swore that he had a mini heart attack when Thanos wrapped his hand around the kid’s throat and not just because he could feel it 

 

-He could almost hear Peters pitched gasp from far away when Tony had been stabbed with his own nano-sword 

 

-Thanos definitely did 

 

-Doctor Strange did, or at least that must’ve been the reason that he saved Tony. To save the kid from the pain. 

 

-It didn’t do any good

 

-Tony felt a sudden pulse of anxiety even before people started to disappear, later he knew that it was because Peter knew. Peter’s stupid power warned him beforehand that he would be a casualty

 

-Tony was filled with dread that he couldn’t identify as his own or Peters as one by one, the guardians turned into dust. He could feel Peter’s molecules tear themselves apart and try to heal themselves back. 

 

-He felt Peter accept it, and he felt Peter fade. and he didn’t have the chance to tell him that he knew about their souls being connected, however, it should’ve been obvious by then.

 

-Tony was terrified to figure out what he would feel when Peter was gone. It turned out that he felt very cold and very alone.


	22. Fantasy Au: description in the chapter summary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fantasy au where magic is outlawed in the land. Anyone practicing magic is put to death, and anyone harboring a magician is as well. One day, Tony Stark finds a young orphaned Peter Parker on the edge of his property, using rudimentary magic skills to try and protect himself

Tony didn’t normally ride alone, due to his high profile but he had always enjoyed taking a ride on his horse he called Friday when work got too much. Normally the rides were peaceful with the occasional highway robber trying to steal from him. He could handle them easily but a little excitement wasn’t something he was going to complain about. 

 

He was interrupted, not by a robber or a passing rider, but by a strange flash of light. Friday stopped and backed away. She was spooked but so well trained that she didn’t run away. She was used to danger. Tony got off of his auburn speckled steed and looked around for the source of the light with his hand resting on his sword. 

 

A flash of golden light came from his left and an obvious bandit was thrown against a tree. Tony looked towards the source of the light and to his surprise, it was a kid. Well, a teenager, a very tired poor looking teenager. He had rips in his bland beige tunic with a few stains but most notoriously a dark red stain on his shoulder. Obviously a very recent injury. 

 

The kid had glowing golden eyes that faded to a warm brown when he saw Tony. The kid grabbed at his injury and got close to tumbling to the ground from obvious exhaustion. 

 

“Please- Please don’t turn me in… They’ll kill me.” The boy begged as he leaned against a tree behind him. It seemed that if he were less exhausted, he would’ve sobbed. He looked so afraid that Tony would turn him in for witchcraft. 

 

“I’m not going to turn you in. I promise. You are not okay, let me dress that wound. Now tell me boy, what is your name?” Tony made sure that it didn’t sound like the kid had a choice but made sure that he sounded as genuine as he was. He had never seen magic before and he was definitely more interested than threatened. He had never agreed with the whole ‘death to witches’ shit that went on in the kingdom and this was just a kid. A kid that was presumably trying to protect himself. 

 

Ignoring the question, the kid looked at Tony for a moment as if he was trying to decide if he could trust the nobleman but realized that he was too drained to do much anyway and ended up nodding and letting Tony get close enough to gently pry the kids hand off of his wound. It was shallow but there was enough blood to be concerning. 

 

Tony led the kid to Friday, the kid leaning on him pretty heavily the whole time. It’s not like Tony minded, the kid was frighteningly light and Tony wasn’t remotely a weak man. He also assumed that magic was pretty draining and it didn’t look like the kid had eaten in a while. 

 

Tony let the kid lean on Friday as he took out some bandage material from a pocket in the horse’s saddle. He bound the kid’s wound and helped him onto the horse. He assured the teenager that he was safe and that no harm would come to him. It’s not like this was the very first time that Tony brought a peasant orphan to his estate to raise. His Lady Pepper would only be mad for a few weeks. She had been getting better. 

 

Tony started to lead his horse to his nearby estate. Making sure from the ground that the teenager wouldn’t fall off. Before the kid fully passed out, leaning on the horse’s neck, he muttered his name. 

 

“Peter… My name is Peter…” 

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter, I promise that I’m going to take care of you.” And he didn’t plan on going back on that promise any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is actually kind of similar to my merlin au so if you liked this, I would suggest looking that up. it should be easy to find, I haven't actually written that much on here


	23. Fantasy AU Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> someone wanted more and I just had to continue

Peter woke up in a place so unlike anywhere he had ever been that he immediately sat up in shock. The bed felt like sleeping on a cloud with a blanket softer than anything he had ever felt. To his back were a dozen soft pillows that matched the dark red colors of the room. The similarly toned wooden frame of the bed was crowded with beautifully detailed carvings of dragons and scenery. There were even gemstones fitted into the eyes of the large central mythical creatures on the headboard. 

 

Peter recognized the pressure and dulled pain in his shoulder from the wound he got however long ago. He looked down at the pristine bandage that was under a tunic that Peter knew didn’t belong to him. First of all, it was made of soft, fine linen was a lighter red than most of the room and had gold embroidery around the sleeves and collar and there was an image of a dragon within an empty upside-down triangle which was inside of an empty circle. The strange design looked a lot like a family crest but it wasn’t one that he immediately recognized. Secondly, the tunic was too big for him. Perhaps it was to not irritate the wound. Peter didn’t want to think about it. 

Before he could awkwardly get out of bed and wander around like a lost puppy, the big wooden door opened. Normally Peter was a little skittish around the non-magic folk but his extra sense didn’t seem to be warning him of any danger so he assumed that he was safe. Relatively. 

 

“Oh! You’re awake! Well, that’s wonderful!” The man that came in was older and had the appearance of a butler or aging servant, but even more important, he was carrying a tray of food. He had a strong accent and a kind look to him that made Peter feel at ease even if he didn’t know where he was. “Have you been awake for very long?” The man asked. 

 

“Uh, no. I just woke up.” Peter assured. “Could you tell me where I am or what happened?” He asked as the man set down the tray on the nightstand next to the bed. 

 

“I do suppose you were unconscious when you arrived… You’re in the Castle of Lord Stark. The man himself saved you the day before last however this isn’t exactly out of character for my master. He has done similar things twice before, I guess I can’t stop him from helping the children in need.” The man rambled on and Peter didn’t plan to interrupt. In some sense it was comforting, being accepted so quickly by someone he didn’t even know the name of. 

 

“I guess I’ll have to thank him when I see him then.” Peter smiled. 

 

“It won’t be too long now, he was just waiting for you to wake up. He was worried when it took so long. Oh, I apologize, I forgot to introduce myself. I am called Edwin Jarvis, I have worked for Lord Stark since he was a wee baby. I knew his father-” 

 

“I’m not sure he wants to hear all that Jarvis.” Lord Stark stood in the doorway, his voice was more teasing to his servant than genuinely annoyed at him. He looked just as royal as he did when he saved Peter, in silk robes and golden jewelry. Although after the last time they had met, Peter knew that this man was more than a stylistic figure. 

 

“Well I apologize then sir, I guess I’ll leave you to your new ward.” Jarvis nodded.

 

“I will need you to supervise Harley and Riri, I think they wanted to spar…” 

 

“Goodness, I do feel like your priorities are in order, sir…” Jarvis left the room in a little more of a hurry. 

 

“How are you feeling kid? Is your shoulder bothering you?” Lord Stark asked obviously concerned. 

 

“No, I heal fast anyway, especially when I’m sleeping.” Peter smiled. “I can’t remember if I thanked you while I was delirious in my exhaustion but I would genuinely like to thank you. I don't know what would’ve happened to me if you weren’t there.” 

 

“I appreciate it but you don’t need to thank me. I mean you can if you want, I am awfully kind…” Lord Stark said dramatically in a way that made Peter have to hold back a laugh. Stark cracked a smile in reaction to Peter. 

 

“Well you are, I exhausted my magic trying to get away from those bandits… I would’ve just passed out in a puddle of my own blood after going through like the worst week of my life.” 

 

“I only saw one bandit, what even happened before I got there?” Anthony raised an eyebrow. In between bites of food, Peter explained what he remembered.

 

“Well there were a lot more but you found me pretty far from their camp. I was trying to escape them. They wanted to sell me as a slave. I took a couple dozen of them out but got hurt on the way out and exhausted my magic near the end…” Peters' voice got quiet and reverent as he continued.

 

“I was captured by them after I escaped my village. The spell hiding us wasn’t impenetrable and we were massacred without warning. I didn’t see any other survivors, I only made it out because of my extra connection with magic. I’m not like most magic people, both of my parents are part of strong magical families and I guess together it made me different. I made it out but I was weak from using all of my energy and got captured by the bandits. They were going to turn me in for profit from the king but they decided that they would’ve gotten more money from selling me as a slave.” 

 

Tony listened the whole time with a respectful solemn expression. He had sat on the bed and patiently let Peter ramble in between bites of food. He stole a grape or two but Peter knew he wasn’t going to eat all of the food anyway. 

 

Peter could recognize subtle differences between the food he was used to and what he was being given. Jarvis gave him food that had more meat and different spices then he was used to and Peter was more used to lots of herbs and fresh produce. Both were really good in their own ways. 

 

“I’m sorry that all that happened to you. But I can promise you that you’re safe now.” Tony said softly.

 

“You can’t promise that.” Peter retorted. 

 

“But I can try.” 

 

“That’s good enough for me.” Peter smiled. 

 

***

 

“You’ll really like Harley, and Riri too if I’m honest… How do you feel about babies? My wife had our kid about a year ago and she’s just the cutest child I have ever encountered…” Anthony talked as they strolled through the exquisite halls on their way to the training area where he knew Harley and Riri would be. “Her grandma Margret is taking care of her now, I think she likes my baby more than she likes me.” Peter snickered in response. 

 

His eyes caught on a spot on the wall with portraits of Lord Starks ward. The far left one was of a dark-skinned girl with curly hair carefully braided behind her back, she wore a gold and red gown and a slight smirk. Next in line was a pale woman with light red hair and a turquoise dress holding a bundle of gold, barely revealing a sleeping baby. Peter assumed that it was Lord Starks wife. Next to her was the painting of an elderly woman with immaculate white-streaked hair and a sharp expression. 

 

Next in line was Lord Stark himself, looking a little less lively than he did in real life. His dark eyes were more piercing than warm like they were in the flesh. Next to him was a teenage boy with a mop of blonde hair just barely short enough to keep his bright blue eyes in view. Out of everyone, he seemed the most lively rather than trying to look all serious and royal like the rest of the family. He wore gold armor that somehow managed to look just as formal as the rest of the portraits. He wore a shining cape that was bright red on the outside and blue on the inside. 

 

“If you decide to stay with us, I’ll have one done of you too.” The nobleman offered as they continued to stroll. 

 

“So this isn’t a temporary thing? You’re completely willing to harbor me here? You know that if the king finds out, we’re all screwed…” Peter avoided Anthony's gaze. 

 

“Well, Harley is technically a criminal and because of her skin, Riri has been shunned by most nobles. I did the complete opposite of what my father wanted me to do, the king sees me as a wildcard, but I think we'll be okay. Besides, I think you’re underestimating us.” Lord Stark grinned. “We may not have magic but we’re all pretty special in out own ways.” 

 

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.” They made it to the entrance of the courtyard where the teenagers from the paintings were quickfire sparing with swords. Peter could barely keep up with what was going on, blades were flying with such speed that all of the fighting seemed like just a confusing blur. 

 

Riri, the one in the slimmer red armor, knocked Harley, the one in bulkier dark armor, off of his feet while he was distracted noticing Peter. Both swords-people took off their protective helmets and looked towards the newcomers. Harley hopped up and grinned as he bounded towards them like a golden retriever puppy.

 

“Hey wizard boy, did you decide to sleep in?” Harley stopped and leaned on his sword. 

 

“Maybe a little.” Peter shrugged. 

 

“Little Peter here’s had a rough week so we’re going to be extra nice okay?” Anthony glared at his other adopted kids. Everyone, even Peter, rolled their eyes. 

 

“So… you have magic right? What can you do with it?” Harley asked as he caught his breath. 

 

“Magic is practically limitless. I mean, there are limits, like energy consumption, but basically, anything is possible, I guess.” Peter stammered a bit. He wasn’t used to being so open about something he would usually be killed for. 

 

“Sir,” Jarvis came into the room, “I’m afraid we have an issue.” Peter was almost relieved to exit the conversation. Jarvis didn’t look very concerned. 

 

“Is Hammer mad that we’re better than him again, he loves to send his army over for a nice chat…” Tony shrugged. 

 

“Well, if you need a reason to show off…” Jarvis sighed. 

 

“Wonderful, Children, to your steeds! Peter, are you in any shape to fight?”

 

“You guys did want to see some magic right?” Peter smiled. 

 

“Take him to the stables, let him ride the new one. The white one.” Lord Stark said as Harley rushed out of the room and Riri picked up his black helmet and followed. “I guess I forget to tell you something important. It’ll be more fun to show you anyway.” 

 

“What the hell does that mean-” 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Peter rode the horse slowly out of the stables. The horse was beautiful, a long white mane and light eyes. Straps of gold was wrapped around her and she almost looked like a unicorn without the horn, with just as much delicacy and royalty as the magical creature. Everything from the saddle to the reigns were exquisite and gold, worthy of a king rather than a lord. Peter felt powerful when he rode her. However, this feeling would be insignificant when the Starks came out on their steeds. 

 

They didn’t have horses, not even lions or wolves. Their steeds blotted out the sun which made Peter look up in awe. Suddenly the Stark family crest was not just symbolism. Three massive dragons landed in the field in front of him. A deep red one that held Riri in her cloth and armor, A black one with somehow elegant spikes held Harley with his matching armor, and flashiest of all, a gold and red dragon that held the Lord himself. He had a smirk meant especially for Peter. 

 

Each dragon was a different size and shape but they all had a magnificence to them. Curling thorns and golden eyes, wings larger than the length of a building. Tony’s and Riri’s had long sharp snouts, Harleys seemed a little more short and round but still had a dangerous presence. 

 

Peter had to calm down his spooked horse but with a flash of golden from his eyes, the horse obeyed. 

 

“I don’t know why I expected anything less…” Peter smiled as he rode nearer to them. 

 

“We’ll give you a head start, we have places to be.” Harley laughed. Peter decided that he wanted to impress them just as much as they did him. He smiled and with only a magical prompting, his horse started to sprint. Peter closed his eyes and lifted his hands at his sides. Golden magic rippled off of his form and light apparated on the sides of the horse. With a bright flash, the light became strong feathered wings. Peter shot into the air with his modified steed and he opened his brightly glowing eyes that matched his radiant smile. 

 

Moments later he was joined in the sky with a squadron of dragons and their royal riders. Surprisingly enough, they looked impressed. Peter closed his eyes again and with a few more wisps of gold magic, his simple tunic turned into the robes he saw when the mages went for combat. Dramatic but surprisingly easy to move around it. A dramatic cloak with an optional hood, plenty of sacred jewelry, delicate golden face paint, the works. Sure, he was a little tired from just conjuring up everything but he wasn’t going to show it. 

 

“Gods we are dramatic…” Lord Anthony sighed. His kids all grinned. 

 

“It’s too bad we can’t go for a recreational flight…” Riri sighed. 

 

“We’ll have plenty of time for that… after we teach ‘Lord’ Hammer not to bug us.” Harley pointed out. 

 

“So… who’s ready for a dramatic entrance?” Anthony smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this one, I had a lot of fun.


	24. Aunt Carol and Aunt Maria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I've had this AU in my head for a while, it's basically just a normal Biodad au where Tony raised Peter but I wanted to add my new favorites in, so we have our Pilotwives! This is the first time I've ever written them so don't be too harsh. I've only seen Captain Marvel twice and I am a dumbass. Also, Peter is a kid in this drabble.

Peter knew that something had gone wrong. He could feel it in his bones and the way that Aunt Pepper paled when she listened to a voice on the other end of the phone. He could tell that she tried to hide it but he just knew. She calmly uttered instructions to the person on the other end and she looked like she was about to cry. She looked at him for a moment before hanging up the phone and giving him a half-hearted smile. 

 

“Hey, Petey? How do you feel about visiting your Aunt Carol and Aunt Maria? I have to go take care of some things at work and it might take a while.” 

 

“What’s wrong?” Peter immediately asked. He knew that something was up but he didn’t know how worried he should be so he ended up being extra worried just in case it was something really bad. He wasn’t disappointed. 

 

“Your dad ran into some problems in Afganistan, You know he was there for the weapons demonstration, right?” She said carefully as if she had to think about every word that she said to him. Peter only nodded in response. He had a feeling that the problems his dad ran into were not something like a leopard in the distance or a car breaking down. 

 

“Wasn’t Uncle Rhodey with him?” 

 

“Yeah… Yeah, he was…” Peter didn’t get much information beyond that. 

 

They just waited for his aunts to arrive in their strange little aircraft. It had always amazed him every time he saw it but for some reason, it wasn’t very interesting this time. He had taken a long time to pack, he didn’t know how long he’d be gone. Aunt Pepper helped him of course but he could practically feel her anxiety and it just made him more nervous. 

 

It took a few hours for Aunt Carol and Maria to get there as they lived pretty far away, but that whole time, Aunt Pepper didn’t tell him anything else. He didn’t even know how bad it was and he had a little voice in his head that kept telling him that his dad was dead just like his mom. Although he was half a world away, Peter felt kind of guilty for whatever went wrong even though it was completely illogical. Feelings weren’t exactly known to have much logic. 

 

When his aunts got there, they seemed to already know what was going on and their smiles didn’t seem as genuine. They were a little better at acting than Aunt Pepper was though. 

 

Peter waved goodbye to Aunt Pepper and Aunt Maria helped him into the plane while Aunt Carol took care of his little star wars themed duffle bag. Peter was so nervous that he immediately stuck to the seat when he tried to buckle himself in. He had to do a breathing exercise to calm himself down enough to unstick himself. 

 

“Mutant powers again Hon?” Maria asked. 

 

“Yeah, it gets worse when I’m anxious… I’m like a magnet.” Peter sighed. 

 

“I know… Carol does the same thing, she once got really into a movie and now our couch has a permanent a burn in the shape of your aunt’s butt.” 

 

“What movie was it?” Peter smiled a little at the image. 

 

“It was the Lion King.” 

 

“It was not the Lion King!” Carol yelled as she came back into the cockpit. 

 

“I’m pretty sure that it was…” 

 

“It’s okay Aunt Carol, I cried when Darth Vader cut of Lukes' hand.” Peter attempted to reassure her. “He just looked so sad…” 

 

“Oh do not get her started on Star Wars.” Maria smiled coyly. 

 

“I’ll spare you guys for now. But we will have a marathon while you’re over.” Carol promised. 

 

“Good God…” Maria groaned as Peter smiled a little wider, He was released when he was relaxed enough to not stick to the chair. It was much more comfortable now.

 

The ride was long but it wasn’t boring. Aunt Carol was happy to talk to him about Star Wars and space while Maria primarily piloted the aircraft. They talked about their daughter Monica who was in college getting her degree and about movies that they all had seen. They let Peter ramble on about some science things that he had recently learned. They always were pretty surprised by how smart he was even though he was only eight years old. 

 

When they got to Louisiana, Goose was waiting for them. Peter was very happy to see the time and space traveling cat. Every once in a while she would visit him and his dad in Malibu but she liked Carol and Maria more. Peter brightened when he left the aircraft and gently patted Goose’ head when she came right up to him. Goose had always liked him, he had always been gentle with her and she had judged him as worthy. She followed them into the house and Peter carried his bag into the main room. 

 

“Can someone tell me what happened? Aunt Pepper didn’t tell me anything…” Peter slumped on the couch next to the person-sized smolder mark and Goose hopped on his lap. Carol and Maria shared a look like they were arguing non-verbally. Carol seemed to have lost as she sighed and sat by him. 

 

“Tony was on his way back from the weapons demo and his car got shot at. Uncle Rhodes said that last he saw, Tony was still alive but we think that some terrorist organization got to him first. You know your dad though… He’ll think his way out…” Carol said with so much surety that Peter didn’t think that she was lying. 

 

Carols phone rang and she picked it up in hopes that it was news on her friend. It was technically news as she picked up the TV remote as fast as lightning and turned on the TV to a news channel. They were covering what had happened to Tony. 

 

“Peter... “

 

“I’m not leaving,” Peter demanded. He probably should’ve as the news network showed a grainy video with a disheveled Tony in the middle. He had bandages on his chest and looked like he had been through hell. All around him were masked men with guns, they were yelling in a language Peter couldn’t even identify. 

 

His blood went cold and even Aunt Carol with her automatic heater body couldn’t thaw the ice in his soul. Peter had only been so afraid when he had almost been kidnapped and Happy had left for a moment to go get a funnel cake from a vendor. Sure it still would’ve been scary with Happy there to help but it was so much worse when he was so vulnerable. That was even before his mutations became active. Before he was able to break the guy's ribs with a single blow. 

 

Seeing his dad injured and in so much danger felt like that. It felt suffocating. Someone who had sung him to sleep until he was embarrassed about that, the man that told him bedtime stories about superheroes and listened to him even if he was acting stupid. His dad was up there on the TV surrounded by enemies and covered in blood. 

 

It was a long three months. But it was easier once he accepted it. Every day, they would call Rhodey to check in and his aunts did everything they could to take his mind off of it. Peter taught Carol how to play Pokemon on his DS and she helped him learn how to control his powers. To be able to stick and unstick at will and how to control his strength. 

 

During the day, Peter almost forgot that there was anything wrong. His dad could just be on a prolonged business trip and was too tired to call every night… He was just spending the summer with his fun gay aunts… nothing was wrong. But it all went away during the night. Almost every night, aside from movie nights when he fell asleep on one of his aunts' laps, he had nightmares and woke up sticking to the ceiling and with hot salty tears streaming down his cheeks. 

 

He always tried to be quiet so that he wouldn’t wake his aunts up but it wasn’t very long before they noticed. Peter had woken up stuck to the corner of the ceiling and he curled up into a ball. He tried to muffle the sobs that wracked through his body but he wasn't quiet enough and Aunt Maria woke up which led to Aunt Carol waking up. He automatically apologized for waking them up but neither of them were having any of it. They talked him off of the wall which wasn’t easy as it was mostly his powers going haywire and eventually got him back to sleep after Carol decided to show off her singing. 

 

It was three whole months of this. Peter was thankful that it was with his aunts instead of Obadiah or someone that he didn’t know as well. One day, Carol got a call. For once, it was good news. Great news. She smiled and looked at Peter. They were just finishing up breakfast. 

 

“It’s Rhodey. He says that they found him. They found Tony. There was a big explosion and he broke himself out.” She grinned. “The plane is planning on going to a hospital in New York.”

 

“Why does he need to go to the hospital?” Peter stopped eating his pancake. 

 

“Rhodes said that there was… something in his chest… I don’t know but they’re on their way back. We should meet him halfway.” Peter rushed to pack up and that’s just what they did. 

 

He was so excited. He couldn’t wait to see his dad again, he was fidgeting in his seat. It felt like forever even though it was only an hour to get there on their alien enhanced spaceship. They landed minutes before Tony’s plane landed and Peter ran to stand and wait by Aunt Pepper. Peter was so excited that he could barely speak, he was practically vibrating. 

 

Tony’s plane landed and he walked out before Rhodey. His arm was in a sling and he looked pretty rough but when he looked out and spotted Peter, he smiled. Peter didn’t wait for Tony to walk down all of the stairs to exit he just ran and launched himself tearfully at his dad. Tony barely managed not to fall over and kept supporting his kid with his good arm. 

 

“I really missed you,” Peter muttered. 

 

“I missed you too bud.” Tony smiled. Peter felt the warm but hard implant on his father's chest and could barely see the light blue glow being covered up by layers of clothing. 

 

“Are you like a cyborg now?” Peter asked in a serious tone and Tony laughed. It kind of hurt but he didn’t care. 

 

“I mean if you want to think of it that way… Like a scary terminator cyborg or a cool Luke Skywalker metal hand cyborg?”

 

“You’re a cool cyborg.” 

 

“You’re darn right I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want more from this AU just let me know! Remember, comments fuel creators and if you want content you gotta feed us with sweet validation. I love you all and I'll see you next drabble!


	25. To Fear Power and To Set It Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> word for word prompt: Tonys trying to escape some max prison for enhanced people/people of interest and he stumbles across this kid? and they escape and try to evade the police together?

The people didn’t want superheroes. The people didn’t deserve them. Enhanced people were to be feared and contained. Tony wasn’t a superhero but he was here anyway. In a dark prehistoric cell covered to the brim in cold concrete with only a rough blanket and a bucket in which to shit. Tony constantly had his arms handcuffed behind his back and literally nothing to work with besides his constantly moving brain. Every possibility had been worked through his mind in excruciating detail. 

 

He couldn’t get out unless his handcuffs somehow stopped restraining him. This only happened when he was sent to the showers. But he would still be surrounded in guards because apparently, he was the most dangerous non-powered person there. 

 

His plan went into play the next time they let him out. There was a gun to his back that poked the back of his gray prison garb that forced him to walk forward in a warning that Tony had tested years ago. He still had the scar on his shoulder and the bullet a few inches into his muscle. 

 

Tony didn’t know if his plan would work, he was just sick enough of being in a box that he couldn’t help but do something about it. He jerked on the assumption that the guard would automatically shoot, fortunately, he did. and Tony was able to position himself in a way that the barrel of the gun was aimed straight at the hinges of the handcuffs and they tumbled to the ground. Tony didn’t hesitate to attack and disarm the guard and steal his gun. 

 

He took the shot and took out the hallways camera and ran where he had memorized the exit to be. He had seen a map of this place years ago and had burned it into his memory. 

 

It was only a moment after the escape that the alarms and red lights started to fill the compound. Tony didn’t have long until he was captured again. He needed a distraction. He was approaching a heavily fortified cell with a tiny window at the top. Whatever was inside was probably the most dangerous thing here. 

 

Tony was a little desperate so he hacked the keypad and in less than a minute, the thick steel door opened. Inside was not what Tony was expecting. It was a disheveled looking kid in way too extreme of restraints. There were a thick shock collar, a weird looking straight jacket, and even a metal gag. The kid looked no older than twelve with curly brown hair and a tiny frame. The child stumbled backward into the wall as if he was scared of Tony. 

 

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you, I want to help you.” The kid tilted his head in confusion but started to look less like a cornered animal. “But I need to know if you can help us get out of here.” The kid nodded frantically and although Tony was skeptical, they must have him in there for a reason. They wouldn’t just chain up any normal kid. 

 

Tony approached the kid as carefully as he could while counting down the seconds until a squadron of highly armed assholes got there and Tony’s escape attempt to be foiled. Unchaining the kid wasn’t easy but it was mostly made so that the kid couldn’t get himself out and so that someone else had the ability to. 

 

The kid had irritated pink indents all over his skin from the restraints that even got so bad as to bleed in some parts of his neck. He rubbed his throat tentatively and softly thanked Tony with his heavily unused voice. 

 

This was the unfortunate moment that the familiar sound of heavy footsteps and yelling approached them rapidly. The kid looked behind Tony and straightened up like he was getting ready for a fight. 

 

“I’ll take care of them.” The kid rasped with the seriousness of a war veteran as Tony turned to see what he was dealing with. There were at least a dozen fully armed guards jogging towards them. Tony ignored the order to stop where they were and just turned back to the kid. 

 

“Are you sure about that, there are… quite a few of them.” 

 

“Trust me. Please.” The kid smiled a little before he leaped into action. 

 

So this was why the kid was kept in confinement that went so overboard. The kid was terrifyingly fast and none of the guards could keep track of him. He was a blur, frantic yells turned into screams and the snapping of bones and muffled impact of a rapid-fire fight. Gunfire was stopped suddenly and after a minute of chaos, the kid stood in the middle of the wreckage nursing a bit of blood on his cheek. 

 

“Damn kid, what are you.” 

 

“I’m Peter.” the kid smiled. Tony assumed that was as good as he was going to get. 

 

“Well Pete, while I am very impressed, we should get going.” 

 

“You’re really taking me with you… I can… leave?” Peter stuttered. 

 

“You got it kiddo. Even though it looks like you can defend yourself, I’m going to help keep you safe. We never have to be caged like animals again.” 

 

“I think I’d like that.”


	26. Kintsukuroi- to repair with gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this one wasn't a prompt, It was just too short to put anywhere else. 
> 
> WARNING: ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD

No one knew Death like Peter Parker. No one could ever feel it the way that he did. It had been excruciating seeing it and almost more so experiencing it. Almost. Nothing has ever been more painful than feeling someone else die. Not getting a building dropped on him, not being choked by Thanos, not being forcibly torn to pieces atom by atom and knowing it was coming for minutes before it even started. Nothing had ever been more painful than feeling someone's heart slow down and stop. Nothing hurt more than feeling someone he loved leave him. 

 

Feeling Ben die had been soul wrenching. It was almost like he felt the life being ripped out of his uncle. He had felt the blood on his hands for years afterward. 

 

He had focused on heartbeats unconsciously all around him and found comfort in listening to people near him live, stay alive. He counted heartbeats, breaths, and every bit of evidence that everyone he cared about was alive. Ned’s heartbeat was always a little fast and May’s breathing was usually deep and a little slow and he couldn’t figure out if she was doing it on purpose to calm him down. 

 

Tony was similar. His heartbeat was fast and sometimes irregular, his breathing was sometimes shallow as if it hurt and Peter could swear that he could hear his mentor thinking. 

 

So when he was ripped from Peter, it felt like something around him was gone. Not just Tony, not just a constant presence he could rely on. It was as if something was cut out of him. He had relied so heavily on making sure that everyone was alive that when he failed someone, it was worse than anything he had ever felt. Peter could think of no pain in the world that he could compare it to. Nothing sounded brutal enough. 

 

Peter wasn’t the only one there when Tony died. But it was different for him. Rhodey couldn’t feel it, Pepper couldn’t feel it, but Peter could. What they had felt was bad enough that he would never dare to admit how bad it was for him. He wasn’t so selfish. But eventually, he had no choice. 

 

It had been a bad day, or a bad night rather. Peter had the nightmare again. The one that replayed the moment over and over again, torturing him with the slowing heart and breath. As usual, Peter didn’t wake up screaming. He woke up with boiling acidic tears pouring down his cheeks and he gasped for breath with no hope of getting it back any time soon. 

 

He had stayed over at the Starks. The country lakehouse had become a second home for him and he babysat Morgan as often as Pepper would let him. To this point, he had avoided alerting anyone of his night terrors and had been able to work through them on his own. For some reason, this time, it wasn’t the case. He couldn’t breathe. He was restless and walking outside around the lake sounded like the peace he needed. So, he slipped out. 

 

He wasn’t quiet enough to go unnoticed. 

 

He stumbled to his favorite secluded bench and fought his hardest to catch his breath but he knew that the cool fresh wild air was helping. It was so much cleaner than anything in the city. He could hear someone coming from behind him but his spider-sense assured him that he wasn’t in any danger and he wasn’t in the right mindset to pay much attention. He was too busy trying to breathe. Trying to stop shaking. Trying to stop sobbing. 

 

A gentle hand placed on his shoulder started to ground him to reality. Then there was a presence at his side, sitting by him on the stone bench. Her voice was calm and knowing, like she had done this before. After a moment, her voice clarified in his ears and he could actually process her reassurances. 

 

“Focus on my voice Peter, It’s okay, you’re home, slow breaths come on, can you breathe with me?” Pepper instructed slow deep breaths and it took a minute for Peter to be able to follow and slow his air intake down. 

 

When he was finally recovered, in a physical sense, Mrs. Stark wrapped him in a hug. She knew him well enough to know that he took great comfort in physical contact. He melted in her arms and focused on her heartbeat. It was strong and steady. Not like Tony’s, but it anchored him just as fast.

 

“I felt it...” He muttered into her messy hair. “I can’t stop feeling it...” 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I felt it when he... I could... hear when it was over...” He sobbed. “I felt his heart stop and I can’t stop hearing it. I couldn’t save him... I couldn’t save them... I can’t... I couldn’t do it again-” He stuttered through hiccups. Pepper seemed to get the message. 

 

“Jesus... Pete, I’m so sorry...” She held him tighter when she realized. She couldn’t imagine what it had felt like for him. It was just like him to suffer alone. Just like Tony. She saw so much of Tony through Peter that it almost hurt. It was like only having part of him with her but she still clung to it like a lifeline. 

 

She was going to ask why he had never thought to tell anyone when she heard Tony’s voice answer her instead. Tony would’ve done the same thing. Peter and Tony were the same in this way. They would let themselves be burned from the inside out if they knew their pain would hurt the people they loved in the process. There was a certain point of devaluing themselves somewhere in there too. 

 

They both would believe that if they could push everyone away while they lost themselves just so no one else would get hurt. Peter knew that people cared about what he felt and he knew it would crush them to know what he had gone through. To be fair, it kind of did. But Pepper loved this kid in the same way her husband did, and this moment of weakness was something she had seen in him so many times. She had gotten good at picking Tony up, and even if she was hurting too, she knew that her own healing tended to rely on the people around her. 

 

No one could fix themselves. Peter needed her and she knew that she would need him to help her find some sort of normal after the tragedy. She loved him ever since she had seen him and Tony working together. She loved him when he carried Morgan on his shoulders and made her a little web hammock, She loved him when he helped her make food for their little makeshift family because they all knew that May was not anyone's first choice for the job. She loved him like he was her own, plain and simple. He and May had become part of Pepper’s family and she really needed them more than she could ever express. 

 

Because even broken pottery could be put back together with molten gold. It may hurt and blood may be drawn, but when it’s done, it’s more beautiful than before without ever taking away the fact that it was broken in the first place. They could all be shattered, but they weren’t alone and they had the ability to heal. 

 

No matter how long it took, how painful it was, they would heal. If Pepper had anything to do with it, they would heal in gold.


	27. Peter calls Tony 'Dad'

Peter had a lot of experience in father figures. He had only called his own father ‘dad’ for a handful of years before he died. Before then he had known Uncle Ben, who had always been ‘Uncle Ben’ despite Peter fully feeling like the man was a father to him. His uncle had always been his uncle since he could form memories. 

 

This was why he was a little startled when he accidentally called Mr. Stark ‘Dad’ in his thoughts. He didn’t know if it was the wishful side of his brain that desperately needed it to be true or his subconscious trying to point it out to him. At first, he felt like it was bad and off-limits. Peter felt like he was too old for this. Tony wasn’t his dad. This was not normal. 

 

But even stranger to him than the situation itself, Peter found himself taking comfort in the idea. No one could read his thoughts, it was just a private thing that he could hold onto. He had lost every father figure in his life and he blamed it on some kind of coping mechanism, but he never told anyone about it. Not even Ned. This little thing was his and it would be super embarrassing if anyone found out. 

 

So of course, he slipped up. 

 

He had been staying the night at the avengers compound. It was the middle of summer and Peter had almost known Tony for a year. May and Peter couldn’t afford to go on a real vacation and May would not let Tony give them anything, so they compromised to get Peter out of the city and let him stay at the compound for a few weeks. 

 

He had been in bed after a long night of working in the lab, forgetting what time it was and being forced to leave the workshop after a skype call from Ms. Potts. Peter was exhausted but definitely feeling safe and happy so of course, something had to balance him out. 

 

He knew it would happen sometimes, which was why he told FRIDAY not to bother Tony with it. It wasn’t that she didn’t listen, it was just that she thought it was bad enough to disobey. 

 

Peter had a nightmare. A bad one. He didn’t scream but he thrashed around, being unable to wake up. He didn’t scream but his sobs were heard from rooms away so even if FRIDAY didn’t wake up Tony, he would hear the kid in distress. He was a light sleeper anyway and was pretty sure that it was due to his raging paranoia. Anyway, Tony was woken up from a dreamless sleep to FRIDAY at low volume, trying to get his attention. 

 

Immediately he thought that something bad was going on. Another alien attack, some world-conquering villain, the rogue Avengers doing something dumb that he would force him to cover for them with Ross, (again.) Thankfully it was none of those things but it was still relatively worrying. 

 

Tony jumped out of bed faster than he thought possible and followed the sound of pathetic whimpering that unexpectedly pulled his heartstrings. He quietly opened the door to Peter’s room and the dregs of sleep seeped out of him with the sight of the kid looking like he was having a full-on night terror. He was tossing and turning like he was being possessed and in the dim light, Tony could see tear marks on his cheeks. 

 

“Kid, Peter-” Tony tried to gently shake Peter awake, and when that didn’t work he did the same thing but a little rougher. After a long moment, it seemed to be enough. Tony didn’t want to startle the kid awake and make it worse so he didn’t know what he would’ve done if it didn’t work. 

 

It took a moment for Peter’s brain to catch up with his eyes and he was kind of confused when he woke up to Mr. Stark looking worried with his hands solidly on his shoulders. In his tired stupor, his brain to mouth filter wasn’t quite functional and he would soon regret that simple fact. 

 

“Mr. Stark? Dad?” Tony froze for a moment before Peter sat up kind of abruptly in a sudden desperate hug. 

 

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re safe...” He reassured, stunned at what Peter called him. 

 

“I know... You’re Iron Man...” Peter said groggily. Tony didn’t know what got into him, maybe the kid's vulnerability and automatic trust in him but it unlocked some kind of odd protective lioness inside of him. He held the kid tightly and combed his fingers through Peter’s hair. 

 

It was kind of weird when Peter fell back asleep on Tony's shoulder and he didn’t dare move like the kid was a picky cat that had chosen him as his trusted human person. Tony would hate to betray that trust but he really couldn’t stay in that position forever. He eventually had to gently lay his kid back on the bed, looking pretty nightmare-less. 

 

Tony pressed a kiss to the kid's temple without thinking but found that it felt pretty right. He was asleep so he wouldn’t know... Tony could just keep the frighteningly parental moment in his memory where no one needed to know that it had ever happened. It could just be a private little moment that he could take comfort in. 

 

Tony had never had a kid, but he felt like this was what if felt like. He used to be afraid of it but now... he could only see Peters relief when he woke up and came back to reality. Tony never thought that anyone would look at him with such unfiltered trust and for some reason, it didn’t scare him. 

 

It was actually pretty nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i haven't done a little prompt drabble in a while, feel free to keep sending prompts through my tumblr 'Science-Lings' or "Scienceings-writes' 
> 
> please comment if you enjoyed!


	28. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a sad one boys. Basically, a poetic rendition of the newly released deleted endgame scene of everyone kneeling in respect for the fallen iron man.

Silence fell when the good king finished the battle. 

 

Only the sound of the Queen’s sobs broke the silence.

 

His right-hand man who stood by his side till the very end looked away weeping silent tears.

 

The prince knelt at his father’s side, unable to bring himself to break the silence.

 

Then, the army started to kneel. 

 

First the archer, who had once doubted the king.

 

Then the foreign monarch knelt with his head down.

 

The fiery warrior who had once saved the king eased to her knee.

 

One by one, gods and demi-gods, human and inhuman, those who knew him and those who didn’t, knelt before their fallen king. 

 

For in the years of turmoil and war, he was able to create unity. He proved even to his doubters that there was a reason to believe. When no being was brave enough to stand knowing it would be the end of them, he did. 

 

The king was not a god, or a demi-god or anything other than a vulnerable human. Yet he had stood between all living things and one who wished to decimate them. 

 

The king had once said that his armor would be his coffin. That nothing could stop him from fighting. And he was right. 

 

Nothing could kill the king, though many have tried. The king chose his sacrifice. 

 

The king chose to leave his queen, his prince, and his princess behind. For he was sure they would survive.

 

The sacrifice many would’ve believed him unwilling to make. 

 

Between all the flames and the smoke, the battlefield was silent, as the universe mourned their fallen king. 

 

In the ashes, the Prince stood. The air chilled. and the universe knew that the good king, their greatest defender, was lost.


	29. Soul bond AU (Pain)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this one was formatted as like a bullet point fic on Tumblr so I apologize if it's a little weird. It goes from the beginning to the end. You'll see. I was excited to share it so I hope the odd formatting doesn't turn people off to it.

-Peter was about 7 during iron man 1 so imagine that kind of pain. He had only been with Aunt May and Uncle Ben for a year and they panicked and took him to the hospital. There was nothing physically wrong with him so the doctors decided that it was his soul connection. 

 

-Ever since the initial violent chest pain, he had been sick until he was about 9-10. Then everything was fine, he was constantly in very minor pain but he could handle it and he never told Ben or May. 

 

-Then the events of the Avengers. Peter got bruises from nowhere and would bleed a little and felt a little sad at one point. But it was during the alien invasion that it got bad. Peter watched the TV as Iron Man flew into the portal. He mistook Tony’s fear with his own and almost broke down crying. After that, he had been afraid of space and aliens. He slowly got to the point where he could watch Star Wars and it became his favorite franchise. duh. 

 

-During when everyone thought that Tony was dead, Peter felt brief bouts of debilitating terror and intense cold even though he was indoors and had the heat on. 

 

-Tony felt when Peter got bullied, he got bruises and had the breath knocked out of him on multiple occasions but never knew why. he had grown up not thinking that he had a soul connection. 

 

-Before Ultron, Tony felt a painful sting on the back of his neck and got violently sick for a few days after that. Only weeks later he was hit with longlasting violent sadness that reminded him of how he felt when his parents died but somehow worse. He could distinctly feel like his hands were warm and wet despite them being completely dry. 

 

-During and after Ultron, Peter and Tony’s combined guilt was a violent pain on its own, They both felt both the guilt of not being able to save Ben and being manipulated into making a murderbot. So that sucked. 

 

-Guilt felt like the only emotion that either of them could feel. Until they met during civil war. Peter’s excitement bled into Tony’s fear and they evened each other out a little. 

 

-Neither of them figured it out while they were around each other though. Genius who

 

-Peter almost accidentally killed someone when Tony found out that his parents were murdered. The rage and betrayal made him force himself out of being Spider-Man for the rest of the day because he was afraid about what would happen if he lost control. 

 

-Tony realized that their souls were connected when he took away Peter’s suit. He felt so strongly that he had disappointed someone important to him that he had to stop himself from tearing up. He knew, but he didn’t tell Peter. 

 

-Now Tony knew why on one night he felt traumatizing fear for almost ten minutes before violent pain erupted throughout his body and he felt like he was being crushed. He couldn’t breathe and he gasped for air while he tried to look on security cameras for Peter. He really regretted taking away the kids suit and Peter’s overwhelming fear bled into him and he could barely act. 

 

-when he could breathe again, he could still tell that Peter hadn’t gone home. He felt cold winds and like he was falling before burning heat and sharp pains as Peter was battling the vulture. 

 

-He gave the suit back as soon as he could 

 

-Between the vulture and infinity war, it wasn’t too bad. Peter still didn’t know that his soul was connected to Tony’s but he would find out soon. 

 

-He swore that he had a mini heart attack when Thanos wrapped his hand around the kid’s throat and not just because he could feel it 

 

-He could almost hear Peters pitched gasp from far away when Tony had been stabbed with his own nano-sword 

 

-Thanos definitely did 

 

-Doctor Strange did, or at least that must’ve been the reason that he saved Tony. To save the kid from the pain. 

 

-It didn’t do any good

 

-Tony felt a sudden pulse of anxiety even before people started to disappear, later he knew that it was because Peter knew. Peter’s stupid power warned him beforehand that he would be a casualty

 

-Tony was filled with dread that he couldn’t identify as his own or Peters as one by one, the guardians turned into dust. He could feel Peter’s molecules tear themselves apart and try to heal themselves back. 

 

-He felt Peter accept it, and he felt Peter fade. and he didn’t have the chance to tell him that he knew about their souls being connected, however it should’ve been obvious by then.

 

-Tony was terrified to figure out what he would feel when Peter was gone. It turned out that he felt very cold and very alone. 

 

-Not having Peter’s connection to Tony made it feel like there was constantly something missing. Something empty inside him. Something cold. 

 

-He got used to the feeling after a while and it became his new normal. He wasn’t the only person in the world who had lost their soulmate and everyone knew that there was no cure. 

 

-He had Morgan and he loved her so goddamn much and he would keep on yearning to show her off to Peter… but he was never there, and every second without him was colder and lonelier than the last even though he was far from either of those. 

 

-Every time he saw a picture of Peter a warm feeling spread across his chest, at first convincing him that he wasn’t gone, at least not forever. 

 

-Every moment with the hope that he could get Peter back, Tony was driven with the hint of warmth that he wanted to turn back into a flame. 

 

-Then Banner-Hulks snap happened and Tony could feel that Peter had come back. He could feel pure energy and comforting warmth spread across his body and he wanted more than anything to see the kid in front of him again. 

 

-Then the world went to shit. 

 

-Peter woke up feeling relief and it took a moment for him to figure out what the fuck was going on. 

 

-It all came back to him in a flash, and after every crazy thing that had happened, something stood out more than anything else. The fact that Tony was his soul connection. 

 

-Peter kind of felt like an idiot. Everything felt so obvious now. Every moment of pain and fear and guilt was both his and his mentors and he knew that the desperate relief didn’t belong to him. 

 

-For a moment he let himself be happy and complete, but it didn’t last long. He suddenly felt like he was being smacked in the face with fear and his breath felt contracted like he was being pinned down. Then it was over but the panic didn’t even begin to subside. 

 

-Hints of Peter’s anticipation and worry dripped into Tony’s soul and he never thought he’d miss being an emotional wreck. Because this time it meant that his kid was alive and desperate to come back to him.

 

-Then the portals, seeing each other for the first time but being unable to run to each other because, uh, there was a little battle going on. 

 

-But then they got the chance and they took it. There was so much nervous energy and intense love going through them that it was kind of magical when they hugged for the first time. 

 

-The moment couldn’t last long, they had to fight and they left on the promise that they’d talk about it when they reunited. 

 

-Tony felt the overwhelming fear when Peter was being shot at with the gauntlet and Peter felt every hit that Tony got from Thanos

 

Good Ending: 

-Peter felt when Tony got the stones and he almost crumpled in the pain. But he still felt the urgent need to get to Tony even though the burns were spreading on his own skin. 

 

-He fucking ran to Tony. He didn’t spare a second and he yelled for his mentor to wait, if only for a moment. 

 

-Somehow he got there in time and he put his hand on Tony’s infinity stone covered hand. With them together, the infinity stones were less corrosive.

 

-The Soul Stone, the infinity stone responsible for soulmates and soul connections, glowed with an orange light that covered the two before the fated snap happened. 

 

-That was it. Their vision went white and the woke up days later with matching lost arms and drugged up to shit. 

 

-They did end up talking about the soul connection thing and Tony joked about using it to make sure Peter wasn’t doing anything he wasn’t supposed to. Like patrolling during school hours. 

 

-Metal arm buddies and everything is fine and good

 

Bad Ending: 

-Peter felt the power of the infinity stones taking over his mentor that had made the strongest people stumble and hesitate. Peter wasn’t any different. He couldn’t handle the pain. 

 

\- After a long moment, it was gone. But it wasn’t the only thing that was gone. When Tony snapped, he took away his and Peters soul bond as he was sure that he wouldn’t survive. 

 

-He didn’t. And Peter couldn’t feel him. There was no cold emptiness aside from the realization that came when he found out that he was gone. 

 

-Peter didn’t have a soul connection anymore and somehow it felt worse than what the loss would’ve. 

 

Alternate Good Ending: 

-Tony snapped, Peter felt the pain but not the physical damage. He pleaded with Pepper and Rhodey, telling them that Tony was still there and alive and that they had to believe him. At first, they thought it was just his denial until he revealed him and Tony’s soul connection. 

 

-Tony was rushed to the hospital and survived, all thanks to the soul bond. 

 

-And all the avengers knew how genuinely close to Peter Tony was and it leads to teasing and fluff and everything is good and everyone survives. 

 

Badder Ending: 

-Tony snaps, it hurts and Peter feels Tony die.

 

-Peter has to live the rest of his life without Tony and without a part of himself. 

 

-He goes through the events of FFH trying to find something to fill the hole in his soul but only ends up breaking himself up more. 

 

-Sad shit. Sad shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all forms of platonic soulmate AUs so if you have more ideas please send them my way! Or you can send me a romantic one and I'll try it with one of my few rare ships idk. Go wild. (find me on Tumblr for more fics and stuff @science-lings, @Sciencelings-writes, and for my art @sciencelings-arts)


	30. Pepperony Soulmates: Important Quote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk if I have to keep warning for spoilers but here's a spoiler warning anyway. ENDGAME SPOILERS!

Tony’s soul mark was grim, "You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it." He spent his life knowing that his soulmate would leave him. So he spent just as many years making sure that no one got the chance to even get close to him. He kept his assistant at arm's length, not letting himself remember vital details about her, keeping their relationship professional just in case it was her. 

 

Pepper, however, had a better idea about her soulmate purely based on the quote tattooed on her skin, "You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. Now that I'm trying to protect the people I've put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?" 

 

Pepper stayed at Stark industries as she knew that Tony would turn himself around eventually. She tried not t think of the possibility that Tony was her soulmate. There was a chance that he wasn’t but as she got to know him, she started to see the guilt complex that the man tried to hide that matched the one she found demonstrated in her tattoo. 

 

She only doubted her assumptions when her boss was kidnapped in Afghanistan. But they were reaffirmed when he came back. She knew that something had changed within him, although he was still pretty distant towards her. She wondered why. She wasn’t quite sure why he refused to get close to people besides his best friend, she was sure that he needed more than just worldly validation. She always saw this deep sadness that he had spent so much time training himself to hide. 

 

It was only after Tony had dawned the suit and recruited her to help him get evidence against Obidiah, that they heard the words tattooed on their skin. Pepper barely even noticed that the words tattooed onto her skin had been said before she responded. Then her blood went cold when she realized what had happened. 

 

She realized how out of context her words etched on someone's body might sound abandoning and cold. So instead of following what her words may promise, she trusted him. She stuck with him through the beginning of the most exciting but terrifying years of her life. 

 

After thinking he was dead, him thinking she was dead, being injected with Extremis, him secretly dying, getting a little to close to dying in a wormhole in space, living through the partial decimation of the universe, getting married, having a kid, fighting the biggest intergalactic army, every moment, Pepper spent every moment defying the words written on her soulmate. 

 

She stayed with him, not out of guilt, not out of spite, but out of love. Even if it was based on some magic connection that neither of them had control over. Okay, maybe there was a little bit of spite in there. She hated the fact that their broken quote was about them being separated. However, in the end, it was kind of fitting. 

 

In the end, the quote was all too fitting. No one could stop him from being a hero and at this point, Pepper didn’t even think that she wanted to. Tony had sacrificed himself and she had indirectly encouraged it. She did not walk out. Even after the light of his heart had dimmed and his burned body lied lifeless in the wreckage of the place he built that was meant to be a beacon of hope. 

 

Even after Tony was gone, he never stopped being a part of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently on a soulmate AU fix so if you have any favorite AUs, comment them and I might write them with one of my ships! You can also send me an ask on tumbr at @Science-lings or @Sciencelings-writes! 
> 
> Please comment if you enjoy my stuff as it will ensure that I write more!


	31. Soulmate AU: Webclaws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is a weird-ish soulmate au where a random sentence that they say appears on the other persons body every day. So I decided it would be good for a quick fic for a rarepair!

Peter’s soulmates words didn’t take too long to appear, although slightly abnormal at so early, nothing too abnormal. What was abnormal was the language the words were written in. Mary Parker was fluent in many languages, as most shield agents, but the words were in a language she didn’t even recognize. 

 

She showed her fellow agents the words in an attempt to at least get an idea about where her son's soulmate was from. Some experts identified it as similar to a few African languages but nothing concrete. There weren’t very many language experts for that area of the world yet. For now, the strange glowing blue markings on her tiny son's body were a mystery to her. 

 

After months of research, she was able to identify the language as Xhosa. Out of curiosity, she took the time to learn the language, at least in it’s written form so that she could translate it for Peter. As her kid grew, she noticed he was just as curious about the words as she was and scribbled the symbols in crayon as soon as he could hold one. 

 

Mary translated the words for him once she was able to, most of the sentences ended up being normal kid stuff, but the clarity was great to have. When Peter was four, the sentences changed from bits of random dialogue from the perspective of an advanced toddler to equations and little facts about sciencey things that Peter got excited about. 

 

Almost two whole years after that change, Peter’s soulmate discovered a slightly concerning message from him. “Where are Mommy and Daddy?” His soulmate was too young to fully understand how that came across but her parents assured her it was more innocent than they thought it was. It would take them a little over a decade to figure out how much worse it was. 

 

Peter translated his soulmates words alone now. Aunt May and Uncle Ben knew about his markings but neither of them could help him. Thankfully every once in a while, they appeared in English, as if his soulmate was trying to learn his language like he was. 

 

Years went by and the sentences seemed less and less random like they were supposed to be. It took several years and obviously several conversations that he only got a brief glimpse of, but Peter was able to start to piece together the story. 

 

Peter’s soulmate wanted to find him, they knew he was American but something was holding them back. They couldn’t leave their country or something. They were someone very important and had duties even as a kid and a young teenager. They were incredibly smart and Peter struggled to keep up with them. But he did do better than most people around him. 

 

At some points, Peter felt like he’d never even meet his soulmate. The world was pretty big and it seemed pretty unlikely on both of their ends. However, there was a point where having a soulmate was not the most pertinent thing on his mind. After getting bitten by a radioactive spider and watching his uncle die because of him, being part of the superhero civil war, becoming his own kind of superhero and meeting Tony Stark, he could barely remember to check his arm for the sentence of the day. 

 

He could tell that his soulmate had a breakdown the day that of the UN bombing and realized that they could know all of his breakdowns. Hopefully, it was only the verbal ones... He really didn’t want his soulmate to feel super bad because of him. 

 

Peter put his soulmate at the back of his mind, sometimes forgetting to check the sentence of the day, them promptly regretting it because it could’ve had more answers or hints to who his soulmate was. 

 

Once his life was less of a mess, after beating the vulture and becoming closer to Mr. Stark as well as May knowing that he was spider-man, he was able to put more effort into his soulmate investigation. 

 

One day in the lab with Tony, the billionaire spotted the days words. He started the conversation by revealing that Peter’s soulmate was probably from Wakanda. To Peter, Wakanda was just a recently opened country whose King he had briefly teamed up with during the civil war fiasco. Of course, he didn’t know that at the time. 

 

“Xhosa is the official language and the glowing blue looks a hell of a lot like the vibranium tech that I’ve been able to get a look at. The script is uncanny, anyway have you heard about Wakanda?” This spurred a conversation where Mr. Stark unloaded as much information about the county as he could and they even got into a frighteningly in-depth analysis of Vibranium. 

 

This led to the words “I thought Vibraniums melting point was over seven thousand degrees Fahrenheit?” appearing on his soulmates skin, leading to her spending a whole day in her lab repeating the same sentence over and over in an attempt to force the soul connection to send the specific sentence to her soulmate. She even said it in English for convenience. 

 

The next day Peter’s markings said, “Vibranium melts at 4500 degrees Celcius you fucking westerner.” Peter spent too much time laughing, knowing exactly what sentence was sent to his soulmate for once. Out of pure luck, his soulmate was sent his reaction in the form of a keysmash. Somehow that was the most accurate way to portray his verbal blubbering. 

 

They would make the effort to reply to each other whenever they could but it really wasn’t easy so they could rarely actually do it. They wouldn’t need to do it for long as they were destined to meet face to face eventually. It just happened to happen after the decimation of most of the universe, including them. 

 

Peter woke up after turning into dust and presumably dying feeling extra shitty. He felt both pain and like every cell in his body was slightly misplaced and it was super weird. It took a little while to gain his bearings as he looked up at an unfamiliar orange sky. 

 

“Hey, Spidey, you awake?” A dark-skinned teenage girl in a bright orange top stood over him with a slight smile despite the literal apocalypse. 

 

“I think?” Peter blinked a few times in the light and accepted her outstretched hand. Once they touched, Peter felt a strange warmth beneath his skin on his right forearm. He spared a glance to his arm and saw that days words from his soulmate glowing indigo clearly through his suit. 

 

Then he noticed a fiery red glow coming from the girl's arm, through her neon sleeve. In thin neat handwritten script were the words he last remembered saying before everything went dark. ‘I’m sorry.’ and on his own arm were the words, ‘I’m sure you did your best,’ Which had a different context now. 

 

There was a long moment of them just trying to process what it meant. A very long moment. Because although they were some of the smartest kids in the world, they were both equally bad at this kind of thing. 

 

“Shuri!” A familiar voice said after a minute, Peter turned to see the king of Wakanda. “What do we say about freezing?”

 

“Shut up brother.” 

 

“Wait, ohmygod-” Peter made the vital realization. His soulmate was literally the princess of Wakanda. 

 

“Well, if we are stuck in an inescapable bright orange pocket dimension, I’m glad that you’re here too.” She grinned. 

 

“Same. Look, you can’t expect me to make a better response than that...” Peter admitted.

 

“I think ‘same’ is pretty sufficient.” Peter smiled at his soulmate. At Shuri. 

 

But it was bittersweet. They were dead or at least separated from the earth and everyone that had survived. 

 

Peter knew that they could come back. They had to. Tony would never stop trying to save them and if he had to wait an eternity for the day that it happened, he would happily do so. He couldn’t wait to tell his mentor who his soulmate was. 

 

They had five years to wait but it wasn’t so bad. He wasn’t alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still taking soulmate prompts on my tumblr (and on here if you want to leave a comment) So if you wanna find me on tumblr I'm @science-lings and @sciencelings-writes. See you guys next chapter!


	32. One Word Prompt- Nostalgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short prompt I wrote on Tumblr!

Tony never really thought of his past in a good light. He only had regrets and moments he wished never happened. He couldn’t pick out a genuinely happy moment that made him wish to go back to that time. At least, until he took Peter on a tour of MIT. For some reason, he was able to remember a few good things. He wouldn’t have any good things to remember if it wasn’t for Rhodey. 

 

Even though the dorms and labs had changed drastically, he could remember the smells of Rhodey’s post-exams cookies, when his friend would let him have a batch of cookie dough just for eating, leading to them getting salmonella once but it was only once out of a dozen times. 

 

He had a little smile on his face when he met a professor that had been there for so many years, she told Peter about all the shit Tony and Rhodey got into and he only corrected her on a few things. Tony boasted about his kid as he had no doubt in his mind that the kid was a genuine genius, even if he acted like a dumbass sometimes. Tony had seen first hand how intelligent Peter was and had no qualms about shouting it from the rooftops. Peter’s blushing face only made him want to do it more. 

 

There was also the slight pride that he had in the kid that he never saw from his own father. His dad had never patted him on the back and boasted about him even when he did crazy things. He just acted like it was a stunt for attention and would use it for more publicity. Which was kind of ridiculous because Tony didn’t understand how he could not talk about Peter. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling and talking about the kid. 

 

At this point, Pepper knew Peter just from Tony talking about how smart he was. She always had a smug smile on her face and would make him stutter a but when she clarified his feelings with a quick. ‘You still think you’d be like Howard?’. or ‘You’re really proud of him huh,’ 

 

Tony was not happy with his past but that didn’t make everything bad. He had Jarvis, Rhodey, Happy, Pepper, and even his bots gave him that little warm feeling. But he never thought of himself as nostalgic. He was a futurist. He was too busy looking forward to look behind. Looking behind usually only made him sad and overwhelmed. But there were a few good bits. A few good people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See my writing right away on my writeblr, @Sciencelings-writes


	33. One Word Prompt: Afterlife

Tony wasn’t sure what came after death. When he snapped his fingers, he didn’t really think that far ahead. All he knew was that he’d just be gone. No more Tony Stark, no more Iron Man. He spent his last fading moments preparing for the worst. Preparing to stop existing. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case. 

 

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the lack of pain. He had been in pain his whole life and now… it was just gone. Replaced by a comforting warm feeling. At least physically he felt fine. There was still a cold hard piece of dread mixed in with the knowledge that he left them all behind. His wife, his friends, his kids… all stuck in a place without him. He so desperately wanted to be there with them, to be alive, but that was selfish wasn’t it. No one could choose who lived and who died and it was too late now. 

 

“Tony?” a familiar voice uttered from somewhere around him, he was still trying to get his bearings. This place was unlike anywhere he had ever been. It felt like he was in a dream, everything around him was fuzzy and indistinct but he couldn’t care to focus on it. He could only focus on one thing. The redheaded woman that called out his name. 

 

Natasha knelt over him with her all-knowing smile a little bit brighter than he had ever seen it. 

 

“I was starting to think I’d be all alone up here…” She helped him up, even though he didn’t need it, he felt better than ever, at least physically. 

 

“It’s nice to see you too Ms. Romanoff.” He said playfully. 

 

“So, how does it feel to save the universe?” 

 

“To be honest, not great. I left a lot of people behind…” 

 

“You’re the reason they’re alive right now. Not just anyone can make the kind of sacrifice that you did.” 

 

“You did.” 

 

“That’s why we’re here.” Natasha motioned towards their surroundings. The fuzzy clouds solidified into a grand bedroom with moving pictures of Tony’s family. Each one seemingly some sort of live feed. Everything was golden and royal like how Thor described Asgard. 

 

“According to an old… acquaintance, this place is called Valhalla. It’s where the heroes are sent when they die.”

 

“Acquaintance like, Loki?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think he’d end up in a place for heroes…” 

 

“He’s changed. He’s different now. He died trying to save Thor, maybe that’s why he’s here. I can’t pretend to know the rules of this place.” Nat shrugged. 

 

“Who else is here?”

 

“Everyone who died a hero. Spider-Mans uncle, Wanda’s brother, Thor’s big sworded friend, Peggy Carter, she died of old age but I don’t think anyone would dare not let her in. A woman named Mar-vell-”

 

“Anyone else I would know?”

 

“I don’t know, I haven’t been here very long either. why don’t we find out?” 

 

Tony looked at his family, each one taking the space of an elegant picture frame. Even though they wouldn’t know it, he would always be with them and that gave him a kind of peace. They’re going to be okay. He’s going to be okay. 

 

“Yeah, sounds like an adventure. Do they have food here?”


	34. One Word Prompt: Stars

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Peter to be unable to sleep. Especially after the traumatic experience of dying and coming back to life only to witness his hero die slowly in front of him. He tried to focus on the cool grass under him and his own constant heartbeat. 

 

Unfortunately, it only reminded him that he was still alive while the great Tony Stark was not. The man who had become a father while Peter was dusted, who had a family, who was willing to sacrifice his life for the safety of everyone else even when they never seemed to appreciate it. 

 

Peter was convinced that Tony deserved to live. Even if it meant he would’ve stayed a pile of dust on a distant planet. It may have been selfish but Peter wanted his mentor back. He didn’t understand why it had to be him, why it had to be Tony to make the choice, to snap his fingers. There where gods and people enhanced enough to survive using the infinity stones all around them. 

 

Maybe that was what messed Peter up the most. Tony didn’t have to die. In fact, Peter could have used the stones. He had the gauntlet for a while. He was enhanced… he could’ve done… something. Anything. He could’ve saved Tony. He wished he did. He wished he could go back in time and do everything over again. He didn’t know his first actual hug with his newest father figure would also be his last. 

 

Peter ripped himself away from his thoughts. They would only send him into another spiral. He looked up at the night sky, clearer than he had ever seen it in the middle of the city. Clearer than he would’ve ever seen it before the decimation. 

 

There were thousands of stars, an infinite universe right in front of him, making him feel small. Which he was thankful for. After everyone being convinced that he was the new Iron Man, the youngest Avenger, some sort of new beginning, he just wanted to be small again. Invisible again. 

 

He wanted to not see himself on every screen, not be framed for murder and not to be exposed like some fucked up science experiment to be dissected by the asshole that hosted the Alex Jones Esque ‘news’ show. 

 

Peter wanted to escape. He just had nowhere to go. He had been slandered and the temporary privacy in Pepper Potts’ hidden cabin was limited. Peter couldn’t go on Instagram to check out Michelle’s photos without seeing some hot take about the spider-man situation. He couldn’t take a dumb Buzzfeed quiz without an article teasing the edge of his vision with a stupid picture of him aiding to the clickbait. 

 

Peter stared at the stars, wishing he could just escape. 

 

Like a fairytale, a light in the sky seemed to approach him. No, it wasn’t the incoming apocalypse, it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. It was a spaceship. The only spaceship that he recognized besides the donut ship. The Guardians ship. 

 

Peter stumbled to his feet and watched as the aircraft landed steadily in the field in front of him. As the spacecraft lowered and opened its doors, Peter got an idea. 

 

What better escape from the world that thought he was a murderer than into space? The guardians were outlaws, They were a crazy group of aliens and part aliens and if anyone would take pity on him, it could be them. He could at least ask. 

 

“Isn’t it a little late to be stargazing? I thought it’s past your bedtime!” The other Peter yelled as he sauntered off of his ship. 

 

“I guess being blamed for murder tends to keep a kid up at night!” Peter smiled. “You got any more room on that spaceship? I’m kinda getting tired of hiding in the middle of the woods.” 

 

“Maybe… Are you cool with sleeping on the floor?” 

 

“I prefer the ceiling or I can always make my own web hammock.” 

 

“You cool with rooming with a tree?” 

 

“Sure.” 

 

“Okay fine, pack up for a little galactic field trip. No fights, you’re on tech duty with Rocket. Dammit, I came here for my jacket, not another kid…” Peter was already running back to the cabin though. 

 

“Thanks, Mr. Starlord! I’ll try not to be too annoying!” 

 

“Too late!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can send prompts to me @sciencelings-writes on tumblr.


	35. The Final Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you know that letter from Tony to Peter that was apparently a thing at d23? Yeah I wrote a fic. Tony lives tho because i can't stand canon atm

Peter wasn’t looking for anything, he just came across something he didn’t think he was supposed to. 

 

He was in the Starks house, kinda in hiding after being blamed for killing Mysterio. That was a whole other can of worms that he did not need to pick through, it was easier just to pretend he was just living with the Starks just because they like him. 

 

Morgan was at school, Pepper was at work, Tony was working on adjusting the current version of his metal arm and seemed to be in the mood to be alone. That happened every once in a while after the final snap so Peter didn’t think he wanted to be bothered because the teenager hiding in his home was bored. 

 

Peter found himself wandering. The house still felt foreign and he still didn’t feel comfortable sneaking around. But there wasn’t much else to do, he was restricted to have little to no digital presence. He could only text his friends through a heavily guarded phone line and even then he wasn’t allowed to call. 

 

He didn’t have any ideas to flesh out in the garage turned workshop, he couldn’t go anywhere, he couldn’t even chill out with Tony’s llama for too long just in case someone stopped by. 

 

Eventually, he wandered into Tony and Peppers room. He looked at pictures of their little family, even some including pictures of May and for some reason a couple of baby pictures of Peter himself. Even one with a young Peter in an Iron Man t-shirt. he rolled his eyes when he saw it next to a framed picture of Pepper looking exhausted by a newborn Morgan. 

 

Under a bunch of unframed pictures and random drawings by Morgan, there was an envelope with shaky handwriting spelling out his name. ‘Mr. Parker’ 

 

Peter didn’t know whether it was invading Mr. Starks privacy to open the letter but it was addressed to him... his curiosity was too strong and he opened the unsealed letter. 

 

Peter felt tears in his eyes after a single line. The letter started out with one of the many nicknames Tony used to refer to Peter. ‘Kid,’ and went on to describe how Peter’s last moments haunted him and how he admitted to wishing he had been a better mentor. How he saw that Peter was meant to be an Avenger and how Tony had failed them. All of them. It conveyed how Peter was the defining factor that made Tony decide to help the avengers go back in time even though he had the most to lose. It was the last message from him before he left, if something were to go wrong. 

 

If Tony didn’t make it, he didn’t want Peter to blame himself, he knew that Peter would but he didn’t want him to. He wanted Peter to meet Morgan and wanted him to be a part of their little family that he had built. Finally, he wanted Peter to not be alone, as he himself learned too late. 

 

The letter ended with a, ‘So don’t be like me. Be better.’ like one of their first conversations. It was cheekily signed off as ‘Mr. Stark’ and Peter wasn’t sure what to think. In another world, this might’ve been his last gift from his mentor. This might be the last piece of his hero. 

 

“A little bird told me you’ve been snooping around...” Tony said from behind him. Peter jumped a little.

 

“oh, uh, I’m sorry-” Peter sighed, a little afraid that the letter was something Tony didn’t want him to see. 

 

“Someday I’m going to get you to stop apologizing for everything. I can’t exactly expect you to not be curious about a thing with your damn name on it.” 

 

“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to traumatize you...” Peter wiped a tear with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. 

 

“Kid, look at me.” Tony gently lifted Peters chin so that Peter couldn’t hide. “You didn’t traumatize me. You motivated me. Without you, none of this would’ve happened. You’re the reason I risked everything. You saved the world bud.”

 

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to give you nightmares...” Tony chuckled a little as he brought Peter into a hug. 

 

“No shit. I’m fully aware that you aren’t responsible for that but it happened and it’s over now. I never needed to have Pepper give you that letter and we can both be alive at the same time.” 

 

“Thank god for that... I don’t know what I’d do without you...” Peter muttered in Tony's shoulder. 

 

“Hopefully neither of us have to find out for a while.” Tony joked. “At least we’re both retired from superheroing for a while...” Tony partly pulled away from the hug, keeping his arm around Peter’s shoulder. 

 

“I miss it... but I don’t miss almost being shot.” 

 

“What do you mean almost, you have been shot. Like several times.” 

 

“Not recently...” 

 

“You got hit by a train a week ago.” 

 

“Okay, can we not-” Tony laughed as he led them out of the room. He had never needed to write the letter, he never needed Pepper to give it to him at his funeral and he never needed to think of his kid's life without him. And he was more than thankful for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send me prompts on tumblr @science-lings or @sciencelings-writes


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